Charles III broadcast his first Christmas greetings as king this Sunday. In particular, he paid tribute to associations and the military.
In the midst of the cost of living crisis in the United Kingdom, King Charles III praised “solidarity” in his Christmas message, broadcast this Sunday, December 25, the first since his accession to the throne.
Dressed in a blue suit, the 74-year-old ruler spoke from St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where his mother Elizabeth II, who reigned for more than seven decades before dying on September 8, rests. the age of 96, and her father Prince Philip. He began his speech by thanking those who sent “touching” letters to his family after the death of the two sovereigns.
“I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown to all of our family,” he said, stressing how emotional Christmas is for “all those who have lost loved ones”.
Tribute to associations
He praised the military and emergency services, “who are working tirelessly” for the security of the country, as well as the health personnel while the nurses recently observed an unprecedented strike.
“I especially want to pay tribute to all those wonderfully kind people who so generously ‘donate’ ‘food’, ‘money’, or their ‘precious’ ‘time’,” he added.
The king mentioned the ‘anxiety’ and ‘hardships’ of those facing war, hunger or natural disasters as well as those ‘here seeking ways to pay their bills or feed and heat their families’ while inflation is close to 11%.
“Such heartfelt solidarity is the most inspiring expression of loving your neighbor as yourself,” he said.
“Whatever your faith, or whether you have none, it is in this life-giving light and with the true humility that lies in service to others that I believe we can find hope for the future”, he added, wishing a “Christmas of peace, happiness and eternal light”.
Reference to Kate and William
The Christmas message is one of the major annual appointments for British sovereigns, with the speech before Parliament and the official birthday of the monarch.
In the morning, the royal family attended Christmas mass in Sandringham, in the east of the country, reviving a tradition interrupted since 2019 by the pandemic. With Prince Andrew who paid millions in the United States to avoid a trial for sexual assault. Harry and Meghan, who recounted their departure from the monarchy in a documentary series on Netflix, were absent.
In his speech, the King made reference to his successor, Prince William, and his wife Kate, who recently visited Wales and “brought to light” “concrete examples of spirit of community”.
Charles III is due to be crowned king on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony ‘forward-looking’ while rooted ‘in the long tradition and pomp of the monarchy’, according to Buckingham Palace .
