King Charles breaks tradition with Christmas message – details

The King has broken with a royal tradition for his Christmas message, it has been revealed.

Charles, 76, has recorded his speech outside a royal residence for the first time in more than a decade, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

The annual address to the nation, which will be televised at 3pm on Christmas Day, was filmed by Sky almost two weeks ago at the Fitzrovia Chapel, a former hospital chapel in Pearson Square, central London.

It’s understood that the King, who is undergoing cancer treatment, wanted a location with a healthcare connection. 

This year’s message will focus on the efforts of healthcare workers following the monarch’s cancer diagnosis and hail community cohesion in the wake of riots after the Southport stabbings, The Telegraph reports. 

In images released by the palace, Charles is seen wearing a navy suit with a blue patterned tie. The Christmas tree in the background was decorated with sustainable decorations  including pinecones, metal bells, twisted glass and glass baubles.

Following the broadcast, it was donated to Croydon BME Forum and Macmillan Cancer Support’s ‘Can You C Me?’ project and will be placed in the Royal Trinity Hospice, Clapham, the  oldest hospice in the UK. 

The Fitzrovia Chapel, with its stunning Byzantine inspired architecture, is the former chapel of the Middlesex Hospital. The hospital was rebuilt in 1929 to 1935 before being demolished in 2008. The cost of rebuilding was solely covered by donations, and on 26 June 1928, The Duke of York – later King George VI and King Charles III’s grandfather – laid the foundation stone. The Duke returned to open the completed building on 29 May 1935. 

The chapel is preserved as a Grade II* listed building and was renamed the Fitzrovia Chapel.  Inside, it is richly decorated in a Gothic revival style with marble and more than 500 stars in the gold leaf ceiling. 

The chapel is open to everyone of all faiths, beliefs, backgrounds and cultures, tying in with Charles’ connection with community.

The last Christmas broadcast not recorded at a royal residence was the late Queen’s at Hampton Court Palace in 2010. 

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In 2003, Elizabeth II also opted to speak from the  Household Cavalry Barracks in Windsor because she wanted to draw attention to the many members of servicemen and women deployed overseas, away from their families. 

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The King delivered his first Christmas message as monarch from St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in 2022 and from Buckingham Palace last year.

Charles is following a long royal tradition, dating back to 1932 when King George V made the first Christmas broadcast.