On the evening of Christmas Day, King Charles III. (75) will again give his traditional speech for the contemplative celebration. The palace now gave a first glimpse of the recorded Christmas speech on Instagram. “The King during the filming of this year’s Christmas program in the Center Room at Buckingham Palace,” reads the statement accompanying a picture in which the monarch is seen in a dark blue suit with a gray tie and white shirt next to a Christmas tree.
“The Center Room opens onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace and overlooks the Victoria Memorial and the Mall, where crowds gathered to celebrate the coronation in May,” the post continued. The speech will be broadcast on the Royal Channel on YouTube on Christmas Day.
As the BBC reports, a potted Christmas tree was used as a background for the annual speech for the first time during the recording. This should be replanted after Christmas and reused the following year. Sustainable Christmas tree decorations made from materials such as paper, wood and glass as well as pine cones and dried oranges were also attached to the branches. According to the Daily Mail, the Christmas tree could indicate that Charles is making environmental protection, which is very important to him, a topic in his speech.
With regard to the Christmas address last year, Charles succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), who died on September 8th at the age of 96. She appeared in her first television message for the festival in 1957. The tradition of the royal Christmas address began in 1932 with a radio broadcast by King George V (1865-1936). Charles recorded his first celebratory speech in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. The Queen and her husband Prince Philip (1921-2021), who died in April 2021, are buried there.
Selected members of the Royal Family traditionally spend the Christmas holidays at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. This also remains the case for the first Christmas after the coronation of King Charles III. so. According to the Daily Mail, Charles and Camilla (76) are celebrating there this year with Prince William (41), Princess Kate (41) and their three children, Princess Anne (73) and her family as well as Prince Edward (59) and Duchess Sophie ( 58) and their children. For the first time, Camilla’s children and grandchildren will also be invited.
On December 25th, the family will go to the Christmas service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate, followed by lunch together.
