The King is expected to reflect on the heroics of Britain’s war veterans in his annual Christmas message this year, which he has chosen to record at Westminster Abbey
The King is expected to pay tribute to Britain’s war veterans in his Christmas message, as he reflects on the heroics of those who served in the Second World War. Marking the end of the year that commemorated the 80th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day, it is anticipated that the monarch will once again herald the actions of our greatest generation.
For the second time in his reign, Charles has chosen to record his Christmas speech away from Buckingham Palace, in an effort to present a community feel, royal sources said. This year, the King decided to film the message at Westminster Abbey, the spiritual home of the royal family for more than 1,000 years.
READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘make redundancies’ after major unexpected changeREAD MORE: King Charles’ strict rules for the Royal Family’s Christmas at Sandringham
Since 1066, almost every English and later British monarch has been crowned at Westminster Abbey. It is also the site where the Prince and Princess of Wales were married in 2011, and where the Princess has for the past five years hosted her Together At Christmas carol concert, celebrating hundreds of community heroes for their efforts.
It is the second time in his reign that Charles has chosen to record his Christmas speech away from a royal residence, the first being broadcast from the Fitzrovia Chapel in London, last year. In his address to the nation and the Commonwealth, broadcast at 3pm on Christmas Day, the King is expected to once again reflect on community cohesion as a key theme.
Since he acceded the throne in September 2022, the sovereign has structured his priorities around a set of guiding principles often referred to as the “four Cs”, specifically Climate, Community, Culture and Commonwealth. Following his diagnosis with cancer in February 2024, a “fifth C” was added to his list of working priorities, in line with his public duties and patronages.
Lifelong environmentalist Charles is also expected to discuss the urgent need to protect the natural planet, which has been a cornerstone of his life of public service. It is understood that King is set to reflect on the emotional commemorations across Britain, Europe and the Commonwealth earlier this year, marking 80 years since VE Day was declared on May 8, 1945 and VJ Day on August 15.
A special programme of commemorations over four days in May for VE Day 80 saw the King joined by his closest family for an historic moment on the Buckingham Palace balcony with a spectacular flypast to celebrate the anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The King heralded the “service and sacrifice of the wartime generation”, in a speech on the 80th anniversary of VE Day echoing the words of his late grandfather, King George VI. In his own historic address to the nation, the monarch said “while our greatest debt is owed to all those who paid the ultimate price, we should never forget how the war changed the lives of virtually everyone”.
The King and Queen Camilla were also joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and future king Prince George, 12, for a special tea party for veterans and their families inside Buckingham Palace on the May 8 anniversary.
As part of his continued efforts to build relationships with other religious faiths, the King is expected to reflect on his historic trip to the Vatican in October. Charles made history by becoming the first monarch to pray with the Pope in nearly 500 years, in a symbolic moment of unity for Anglicans and Roman Catholics across the world.
The monarch is, however, not expected to discuss his ongoing health battles, having earlier this month announced that his cancer treatment schedule is being reduced in the New Year – almost two years after his diagnosis.
The King, 77, delivered a significant update about his cancer journey as part of the Channel 4 Stand Up to Cancer campaign on December 12, while stressing the importance of cancer screening programmes.
In the message, recorded in the morning room at Clarence House, the King revealed: “Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives. Now, I have heard this message repeatedly during my visits to cancer centres across the country. I know, too, what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life, even while undergoing treatment.
“Today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to ‘doctors’ orders’, my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the New Year. This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years; testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the fifty per cent of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.”
The King will welcome his closest family to his Sandringham home in Norfolk tomorrow, for the start of their festive celebrations. Together with the Queen, he will lead the royal family – including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – at the St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas Day, before retiring to host lunch.
The King’s disgraced brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who he still lives with in Windsor, will not be joining the royal family for Christmas this year. The monarch in November stripped his brother of his remaining titles and honours, and Fergie of her Duchess of York title, due to their assocaition with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew and Sarah are expected to spend a final Christmas at their shared Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor estate before moving to separate homes next year. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will also once again be absent from the royal family Christmas gathering. They are understood to be spending the holidays in California with their two children, Archie, six and Lilibet, four.
