King Charles III praises the Queen and workers in first Christmas message

London: The King has used his first Christmas broadcast to say that people of all faiths, as well as atheists, can be the light to the world that the Bible says occurred with the birth of Jesus.

He also acknowledged that it was a time of “great anxiety and hardship” for many people, including those dealing with conflict and poverty.

King Charles III delivers his first Christmas message. Credit:

Charles filmed his address in the Chapel of St. George at Windsor Castle, close to where his mother and father are buried and he began by thanking those who sent “deeply touching” messages of “love and sympathy” to him and Camilla, following the Queen’s death.

The late queen recorded her Christmas message in 1999 from the same chapel’s quire.

“Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones,” he said.

“We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition,” he said.

Despite speculation that the King would use the address to send a message of love and support to Harry and Meghan, who are all but estranged from the royal family, Charles made no mention of the pair.

Although the King’s message was recorded before the second instalment of the couple’s Netflix documentary was aired, his omission will be widely seen as a royal snub.

The royal family spent its first Christmas at Sandringham, Norfolk since 2019 and the first without the late queen and Harry and Meghan who attended in 2018.

They attended church on Christmas morning and spent around 45 minutes greeting well-wishers, some of whom had begun gathering outside St Mary Magdalene Church in the early hours of Christmas morning.

Prince George, from left, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis leave the church after attending the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham.Credit:

Footage screened throughout the King’s message showed members of the royal family at work, including the late queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the queen consort, the Princess Royal, Anne, and the Early and Countess of Wessex, Edward and Sophie.

Harry and Meghan didn’t appear, nor did Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his honorary military titles and removed as a working royal over his friendship with the American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The King also praised his William and Catherine, the Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales, and mentioned wife Camilla, but the majority of his speech was dedicated to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth.

The royal family leaves the church on Christmas morning. Credit:

The King is the first male monarch to grace the television screens of millions of Britons celebrating Christmas.

But he referenced the late queen – the first to ever broadcast a Christmas message on television – throughout his speech, linking her public service to faith and the message of Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus.

“My mother’s belief in the power of that light was an essential part of her faith in God, but also her faith in people – and it is one which I share with my whole heart,” the King said.

“It is a belief in the extraordinary ability of each person to touch, with goodness and compassion, the lives of others, and to shine a light in the world around them.

“This is the essence of our community and the very foundation of our society,” he said.

William and Kate, Prince and Princess of Wales, greet royal fans with their son, Prince George.Credit:

The King said this light was shone by the military and emergency service workers who kept London safe, enabling millions to mourn his mother in September, as well as teachers, health and social care workers, and all those in public service.

Nurses and paramedics and border force officials, as well as postal, rail and London transport workers have all been striking in the lead-up to Christmas.

The government and unions are locked in a battle over whether pay rises should exceed record-high inflation, with the government saying the pay demands are unaffordable and would further add to inflation, while unions say rising prices mean those already on low pay are seeing their real wages go backward.

The King acknowledged that it was a time of “great anxiety and hardship.”

“Be it for those around the world facing conflict, famine or natural disaster, or for those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm,” he said.

But he said that those who “readily respond to the plight of others” throughout the UK and Commonwealth were another example of light prevailing over darkness.

“Our churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and gurdwaras have once again united in feeding the hungry, providing love and support throughout the year,” he said.

The six-minute message concluded with an appeal to heed “the everlasting light” which, Charles said, was a key aspect of Queen Elizabeth’s faith in God and belief in people.

“While Christmas is, of course, a Christian celebration, the power of light overcoming darkness is celebrated across the boundaries of faith and belief.

“So, whatever faith you have or whether you have none, it is in this life-giving light and with the true humility that lies in our service to others, that I believe we can find hope for the future,” he said.

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