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King Charles gave his first Christmas Day speech as a monarch, and here is exactly what he said.
The King used his speech to sympathise with families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and praise individuals, charities and faith groups supporting those in need.
Charles spoke about the ‘great anxiety and hardship’ experienced by many trying to ‘pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm’ during his televised message.
It also featured footage of a foodbank and other scenes of meals being distributed to the homeless.
The country is grappling with an economic crisis due in part to the war in Ukraine and the monarch also praised volunteers, paying tribute to the ‘wonderfully kind people’ who donated food or their time.
Charles delivered his historic Christmas broadcast standing in the quire of St George’s Chapel, mirroring the late Queen’s 1999 festive address.
King Charles first speech in full
‘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 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 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.’
It followed his mother’s well-established template, a personal reflection on the year, touching on current issues and with a Christian framework.
The pre-recorded message began with Charles reflecting on how he was standing ‘so close to where my beloved mother, the late Queen, is laid to rest with my dear father’ in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, and he thanked the public for the ‘love and sympathy’ expressed in cards and messages of condolence.
He also described how the festive period was a ‘poignant time’ for bereaved families, adding ‘We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition’.
Charles said he shared the late Queen’s ‘faith in people’ who can touch the lives of others with ‘goodness and compassion’, something he described as the ‘essence of our community and the very foundation of our society’.
These qualities were reflected in the ‘selfless dedication’ of the Armed Forces, health and social care professionals, teachers and all those who work in public service.
Footage was shown of the Armed Forces and emergency services at work, from soldiers carrying sandbags to a speeding ambulance, followed by doctors and nurses on a ward and care workers in a home.
King Charles III and the Queen Consort at the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey in London (Picture: PA)
The King gave his first festive speech since the Queen died (Picture: PA)
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He recognised those other faiths when he said in his Christmas message: ‘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.’
Among the collection of video clips showing the King at official events, Charles was seen wearing a Sikh rumal, or handkerchief, on his head as a mark of respect during a visit to the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Luton earlier this month, and receiving condolences from the public during a walkabout outside Buckingham Palace in September.
The Christmas broadcast, written by the King and lasting eight minutes, ended with a message for the religious and those with no beliefs: ‘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.’
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The King gave his first Christmas Day broadcast to the nation and this is what he said in full.