king's speech xmas

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King Charles’s Christmas message – text in full

Monarch reflects on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in first Christmas Day broadcast

I am standing here in this exquisite Chapel of St George at Windsor Castle, so close to where my beloved mother, the late Queen, is laid to rest with my dear father.

I am reminded of the deeply touching letters, cards and messages which so many of you have sent my wife and myself and I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family.

Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition.

In the much-loved carol O Little Town Of Bethlehem we sing of how “in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light”.

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.

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.

We see it in the selfless dedication of our armed forces and emergency services who work tirelessly to keep us all safe, and who performed so magnificently as we mourned the passing of our late Queen.

We see it in our health and social care professionals, our teachers and indeed all those working in public service, whose skill and commitment are at the heart of our communities.

And at this 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, we see it in the humanity of people throughout our nations and the Commonwealth who so readily respond to the plight of others.

I particularly want to pay tribute to all those wonderfully kind people who so generously give food or donations, or that most precious commodity of all, their time, to support those around them in greatest need, together with the many charitable organisations which do such extraordinary work in the most difficult circumstances.

Our churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and gurdwaras, have once again united in feeding the hungry, providing love and support throughout the year. Such heartfelt solidarity is the most inspiring expression of loving our neighbour as our self.

The Prince and Princess of Wales recently visited Wales, shining a light on practical examples of this community spirit.

Some years ago, I was able to fulfil a life-long wish to visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity.

There, I went down into the Chapel of the Manger and stood in silent reverence by the silver star that is inlaid on the floor and marks the place of our Lord Jesus Christ’s birth.

It meant more to me than I can possibly express to stand on that spot where, as the Bible tells us, ‘the light that has come into the world’ was born.

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.

Let us therefore celebrate it together, and cherish it always.

With all my heart, I wish each of you a Christmas of peace, happiness and everlasting light.

• King Charles III

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Read the full transcript of King Charles III's Christmas message

King Charles III delivered his first Christmas message as monarch on Sunday.

The pre-recorded speech, which aired at 15:00 GMT (10:00 EST) on Christmas Day, saw the new king honour the legacy of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Sept. 8.

• King Charles salutes late Queen Elizabeth II, public workers in speech

Charles delivered the message from the historic St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England, where both of his parents and many other royals are buried. It was the first televised royal Christmas address not to be delivered by Queen Elizabeth, who initially did so 1957.

Here is a full transcript of King Charles' speech:

"I'm standing here in this exquisite chapel of St. George at Windsor Castle, so close to where my beloved mother the late Queen is laid to rest with my dear father. I'm reminded of the deeply touching letters, cards and messages which so many of you have sent my wife and myself, and I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family.

• Royal Dispatch newsletter: Sign up for exclusive insights on the monarchy

Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season, and remember them in each cherished tradition.

In the much-loved carol 'O little town of Bethlehem,' we sing of how, 'in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light.' My mother's belief in the power of that light was an essential part of her faith in God, but also have faith in people, and it is one which I share with my whole heart. 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. We see it in the selfless dedication of our armed forces and emergency services, who work tirelessly to keep us all safe, and who perform so magnificently as we mourn the passing of our late Queen. We see it in our health and social care professionals, our teachers, and indeed all those working in public service whose skill and commitment are at the heart of our communities. And at this 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 to keep their families fed and warm, we see it in the humanity of people throughout our nations and the Commonwealth, who so readily respond to the plight of others.

I particularly want to pay tribute to all those wonderfully kind people who so generously give food or donations, or that most precious commodity of all, their time, to support those around them in greatest need. Together with the many charitable organizations, which do such extraordinary work in the most difficult circumstances, our churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and gurdwaras have once again united in feeding the hungry, providing love and support throughout the year. Such heartfelt solidarity is the most inspiring expression of loving our neighbour as ourself. The Prince and Princess of Wales recently visited Wales, shining a light of practical examples of this community spirit.

Some years ago, I was able to fulfill a lifelong wish to visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. There I went down into the chapel of the manger, and stood in silent reverence by the silver star that is inlaid on the floor and marks the place of our Lord Jesus Christ's birth. It meant more to me than I can possibly express, to stand on that spot where as the Bible tells us, the light that has come into the world was born.

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. Let us therefore celebrate it together and cherish it always. With all my heart I wish each of you a Christmas of peace, happiness, and everlasting light."

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Watch: Charles delivers King’s Speech from Buckingham Palace

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Watch as King Charles III delivers the annual King’s Speech on Monday, 25 December.

His Majesty delivered the second Christmas message of his reign from a Buckingham Palace room decorated with a living Christmas tree.

The King, like Queen Elizabeth II , writes his Christmas broadcasts.

He followed his mother’s well-established template last year, with a personal reflection on the year focusing on current issues with a Christian framework.

The living tree seen in today’s broadcast will be replanted in a nod to the King’s environmental interests.

It comes after he delivered a speech at the recent Cop28 UN Climate Change summit.

Charles’s message was delivered in the palace room that leads on to the royal residence’s iconic balcony, where members of the royal family have made historic appearances such as after Charles’s coronation or Trooping the Colour celebrations.

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The King's Christmas speech explained as Charles marks his first year as Monarch

• Christmas Message
• Wednesday 3 January 2024 at 4:37pm

Royal Editor

ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship takes a deeper look at the meaning behind the words Charles used in his second Christmas speech as Monarch

This is the King ’s second Christmas broadcast as Monarch but one which his inner circle considers the first that can truly be called his own.

While the King addressed the nation and the Commonwealth for Christmas 2022, it was a speech which was heavily influenced by the recent death of his mother, and reflected the transition from the reign of, Elizabeth II, to the new reign of Charles III.

So this year, the King stepped over the wires, and found his way through the building work which is currently going on in the east wing of Buckingham Palace and made his way to the ITN cameras set up in the Centre Room.

As its name suggests, the Centre Room sits in the middle of the famous facade which leads onto the balcony.

Which is where, last May, the King and Queen, took in the sight of the thousands of people who had crowded onto The Mall to be part of the UK’s first Coronation since 1953.

The weight of responsibility of his new role, symbolised by the weight of the crowns he wore that day, was reflected in his face.

Charles and Camilla had just completed the elaborate ceremony in Westminster Abbey which had been the setting of every Coronation since 1066.

So for this Christmas broadcast, there was no table behind the Monarch on which comments might be made about the choice of family photographs – or lack of them.

This year, the only identifiable items in the background were the Christmas tree (the first time a ‘living tree’ had been used in a royal Christmas broadcast instead of a cut one) and the outline of the Queen Victoria Memorial which sits in front of Buckingham Palace.

With the focus therefore on his words, the King embarked on a speech to reflect his first full year as King.

This is, of course, a largely Christian-focused messaged centered around the Christmas story but the King spoke to those “of all faiths and none” given his long-held belief that he represents people from all communities in the United Kingdom and around the Commonwealth.

The Coronation might have been a highlight in the 2023 royal calendar, but the tensions in the Holy Land were the definite low point of the global events of this last year.

And although a Monarch rarely uses a Christmas address to remark on a particular conflict, King Charles did have the Israel-Gaza hostilities uppermost in his mind when he spoke of praying “to protect each other” in the “increasingly tragic conflicts around the world”.

Given the King has spent many years, and even organised recent events at Buckingham Palace, working to heal divisions between faiths -he urged all sides in this conflict, but also in Ukraine right now, to follow the words of Jesus when Charles said: “do to others as you would have them do to you.”

But it was also no surprise the Coronation featured prominently in the King’s Christmas speech.

Most people in this country have never witnessed the moment of crowning a Monarch. The last one was 70 years ago.

The “meaning of coronation”, the King said was “a call to all of us to serve one another” and he highlighted a new service he has named after the Coronation to cut food waste.

At a time of what he called “real hardship for many”, the King hopes his Coronation Food Project will cut the amount of food waste going to landfill and divert it to those who really need it.

He said the project, which aims to strengthen the current food donation arrangements and create new ones with farms and food factories, will “build on existing ways” to help others.

For those of us who witnessed the King launch it, on his 75th birthday in a rain-soaked trading estate in Didcot, it was clear how much this meant to him personally.

Even though, as King, he can’t ‘campaign’ in the same way he did as Prince Charles, he still uses every speech, be that at a State Banquet or in a room full of business leaders, to mention his concern for the future of our planet.

He does it differently now, in a statesman-like manner rather than a campaigning prince, but he still uses his powers of convening, and his position as a respected figure on the world stage, to do what he can to protect the environment and nature.

After being invited to speak at the opening ceremony of the COP28 UN climate change summit in November , the King said in his Christmas broadcast that we must “care for the earth for the sake of our children’s children.”

And he spoke of how, in the Christmas story, “angels brought the message of hope first to shepherds” as they lived close to nature “amongst others of God’s creatures”.

Charles said he finds great inspiration from the way in which so many people now recognise “how we must protect the earth and our natural world as the one home that we all share.”

He might have been talking about this issue for more than 50 years, but most politicians haven’t.

The King’s great-grandfather, George V,  began the tradition of Christmas broadcasts in 1932.

Queen Elizabeth did 70 such messages, first on the radio and, from 1967, on television.

This is King Charles’ second Christmas broadcast, and it won’t be the last time he uses it to promote service to others and sustainability for the planet we share – two issues about which he cares deeply.

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King Charles Says the Christmas Story Reminds Us of the Importance of Protecting the Earth

The King delivered his second Christmas Broadcast from the Centre Room at Buckingham Palace, with the Palace balcony in the background.

King Charles has long advocated for the importance of protecting our planet. And today, he used his second Christmas speech as monarch to point out that the message of living in harmony with nature and protecting the Earth can also be found in the Christmas story.

“During my lifetime I have been so pleased to see a growing awareness of how we must protect the Earth and our natural world as the one home which we all share,” the King said during his speech. “I find great inspiration now from the way so many people recognize this—as does the Christmas story, which tells us that angels brought the message of hope first to shepherds. These were people who lived simply amongst others of God’s creatures. Those close to nature were privileged that night.”

Produced by ITV, the King's broadcast also featured footage of members of the royal family carrying out official engagements and making public appearances throughout the year. Included in the footage were Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, shown volunteering at a Scout hut with their parents in May and attending Kate’s Westminster Abbey carol service in December .

The King’s Coronation was mentioned in the broadcast, although only briefly, with the King saying, “My wife and I were delighted when hundreds of representatives of that selfless army of people—volunteers who serve their communities in so many ways and with such distinction—were able to join us in Westminster Abbey for the Coronation earlier this year. They are an essential backbone of our society. Their presence meant so much to us both and emphasized the meaning of Coronation itself: above all, a call to us all to serve one another; to love and care for all.”

Instead of focusing on his Coronation , Charles chose to emphasize the themes of faith and service. “Because out of God’s providence we are blessed with much, and it is incumbent on us to use this wisely,” he said. “However, service to others is but one way of honoring the whole of creation which, after all, is a manifestation of the divine. This is a belief shared by all religions. To care for this creation is a responsibility owned by people of all faiths and of none. We care for the Earth for the sake of our children’s children.”

The final image of the broadcast was the King giving a final wave to the public from the Palace balcony after the Coronation.

Read the King’s 2023 Christmas Broadcast in full:

Many of the festivals of the great religions of the world are celebrated with a special meal. A chance for family and friends to come together across generations; the act of sharing food adding to conviviality and togetherness. For some, faith will be uppermost in their hearts. For others, it will be the joy of fellowship and the giving of presents.

It is also a time when we remember those who are no longer with us and think also of those whose work of caring for others continues, even on this special day. This care and compassion we show to others is one of the themes of the Christmas story, especially when Mary and Joseph were offered shelter in their hour of need by strangers, as they waited for Jesus to be born.

Over this past year my heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another—going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do: at work and at home; within and across communities.

My wife and I were delighted when hundreds of representatives of that selfless army of people—volunteers who serve their communities in so many ways and with such distinction—were able to join us in Westminster Abbey for the Coronation earlier this year. They are an essential backbone of our society. Their presence meant so much to us both and emphasized the meaning of Coronation itself: above all, a call to us all to serve one another; to love and care for all.

Service also lies at the heart of the Christmas story—the birth of Jesus who came to serve the whole world, showing us by his own example how to love our neighbor as ourselves. Throughout the year, my family have witnessed how people of all ages are making a difference to their communities. This is all the more important at a time of real hardship for many, when we need to build on existing ways to support others less fortunate than ourselves.

Because out of God’s providence we are blessed with much, and it is incumbent on us to use this wisely. However, service to others is but one way of honoring the whole of creation which, after all, is a manifestation of the divine. This is a belief shared by all religions. To care for this creation is a responsibility owned by people of all faiths and of none. We care for the Earth for the sake of our children’s children.

During my lifetime I have been so pleased to see a growing awareness of how we must protect the Earth and our natural world as the one home which we all share. I find great inspiration now from the way so many people recognize this—as does the Christmas Story, which tells us that angels brought the message of hope first to shepherds. These were people who lived simply amongst others of God’s creatures. Those close to nature were privileged that night...

And at a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world, I pray that we can also do all in our power to protect each other. The words of Jesus seem more than ever relevant: ‘do to others as you would have them do to you.’ Such values are universal, drawing together our Abrahamic family of religions, and other belief systems, across the Commonwealth and wider world. They remind us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of our neighbors, and to seek their good as we would our own.

So on this Christmas Day my heart and my thanks go to all who are serving one another; all who are caring for our common home; and all who see and seek the good of others, not least the friend we do not yet know. In this way, we bring out the best in ourselves. I wish you a Christmas of ‘peace on Earth and goodwill to all’, today and always.

Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures , released in 2021. 

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King Charles Delivers Easter Message in First Public Address Since Kate Middleton's News

K ing Charles III told the nation in a pre-recorded message released on Maundy Thursday, ahead of Easter Sunday, that we “need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need.”

Audio of His Majesty’s message was broadcast at Worcester Cathedral on Thursday, where his wife Queen Camilla was presiding in his stead over the annual Royal Maundy service , during which the sovereign or their deputy hands out money to local people honored for their community contributions.

The King, who announced in February he had been diagnosed with cancer and has stepped back from public-facing duties while he’s undergoing treatment, said in his message that it was “a great sadness that I cannot be with you all today.” He read a passage from the Bible about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and said “in doing so, he deliberately gave to them and to us all an example of how we should serve and care for each other.”

“In this country, we are blessed by all the different services that exist for our welfare, but over and above these organizations and their selfless staff, we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need,” the King said.

The King expressed that the 150 Maundy money recipients are “wonderful examples of such kindness, of going way beyond the call of duty and of giving so much of their lives to the service of others in their communities.”

King Charles added that Thursday’s act of worship reminded him of his pledge at the start of his coronation service “to follow Christ’s example—not to be served but to serve. That I have always tried to do and continue to do with my whole heart.”

“It is my special prayer today that our Lord’s example of serving one another might continue to inspire us and to strengthen all our communities. May God bless you all this Easter,” he concluded.

The hopeful holiday message comes at a difficult time for the royal family, as His Majesty and his daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, are undergoing cancer treatment . The King announced his diagnosis in February and has withdrawn from public-facing duties, including Thursday’s service, while he receives treatment. However, Buckingham Palace has announced he’s expected to attend the traditional royals’ Easter church service at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday.

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