King Charles III evoked memories of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in his first Christmas message as monarch on Sunday, in a speech that also paid tribute to the “selfless dedication” of Britain’s public servants, many of whom are in a pay dispute with the government.
In the prerecorded message, Charles, 74, also expressed sympathy for those struggling to make ends meet “at a time of great anxiety and hardship.” The United Kingdom, like many other parts of the world, is dealing with high inflation, which has caused a cost-of-living crisis for many households.
However, the king’s first remarks recalled his mother, who died in September at the age of 96 after 70 years on the throne.
“Christmas is an especially difficult time for all of us who have lost loved ones,” Charles said. “With each familiar turn of the season, we feel their absence and remember them in each cherished tradition.”
Following the death of the queen, Charles ascended to the throne immediately. His coronation will take place in May.
He wore a dark blue suit for his televised Christmas message. Unlike Elizabeth, who frequently sat at a desk to deliver the annual speech, Charles stood in front of a Christmas tree at St. George’s Chapel, a church on the grounds of Windsor Castle where his mother and father, Prince Philip, are buried.
Charles said he and his mother shared “a belief in each person’s extraordinary ability to touch, with goodness and compassion, the lives of others and to shine a light in the world around them.”
“The essence of our community and the very foundation of our society” can be seen in “health and social care professionals and teachers, as well as all those working in public service whose skill and commitment are at the heart of our communities,” said the king.
Nurses, ambulance crews, teachers, postal workers, and train drivers went on strike this month, putting pressure on UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government. Opinion polls show that workers, particularly nurses, have widespread support. Unions are requesting pay increases in line with inflation, which was 10.7% in November.
Food and energy prices have skyrocketed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, putting financial strains on many individuals and families.
Charles expressed sympathy for “those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm” while speaking over video footage of food banks and other charitable work.
Charles also reached out to people of other faiths in the UK and across the British Commonwealth, saying that the significance of Jesus Christ’s birth transcends “the boundaries of faith and belief.”
The monarchy, according to Charles, can help to unite his country’s increasingly diverse ethnic groups and faiths. It is part of his effort to demonstrate the institution’s continued relevance.
The six-minute message ended with an appeal to pay attention to “the everlasting light,” which Charles described as a key aspect of Elizabeth’s faith in God and belief in people.
“So, whatever faith you have or do not have, I believe we can find hope for the future in this life-giving light and with the true humility that lies in our service to others,” he said.
The king made no mention of the recent uproar surrounding this month’s Netflix documentary series about his son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan’s decision to step back from royal duties and relocate across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Christmas message was accompanied by video footage of working members of the royal family at official events. Harry and Meghan did not attend, nor did Prince Andrew, who had his honorary military titles revoked and his status as a working royal revoked due to his friendship with notorious US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew, on the other hand, joined Charles and other senior royals on a Christmas morning walk to a church near the family’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England.
The king and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, led family members to St. Mary Magdalene Church for a service. They included Prince William, the heir to the throne and Charles’ older son, as well as William’s wife, Kate, and the couple’s three children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.
Prince Edward, Charles and Andrew’s younger brother, and his wife, Sophie, joined them on the walk.
Congregants sang “God Save the King” after the family entered the church, followed by the Christmas hymn “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
Sandringham has been the private country home of four generations of British monarchs for more than 160 years, but according to Britain’s Press Association news agency, this was the royal family’s first Christmas there since 2019.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Elizabeth spent her last two Christmases at Windsor Castle. Crowds lined the streets near Sandringham on Sunday to welcome the royal family’s return to the holiday tradition.
“It will be on King Charles’ mind when he thinks about his mother and her legacy. They’ll be thinking about it over the holidays “John Loughrey, 67, from south London, camped out overnight to be first in line. “It will be both a sad and happy time for them. That’s the only way it can be.”
