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King Charles films his Christmas broadcast at Westminster Abbey in December 2025
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King Charles delivered his annual Christmas address, continuing a royal tradition that began in 1932
Families gather around the television each year to listen to the speech on the holiday
The previously recorded speech aired hours after the royal family stepped out for their annual Christmas Day church outing
After the British royal family stepped out for their annual Christmas Day church outing, they gathered around the television for another tradition: watching King Charles‘ annual Christmas broadcast.
The King, 77, began his speech this year by recalling praying with Pope Leo at the Vatican during his October visit with Queen Camilla, calling it a “historic moment of spiritual unity,” as well as the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, remembering the “courage and sacrifice” of veterans and the “way communities came together in the face of such great challenge.”
“These are the values which have shaped our country and the Commonwealth,” the King continued. “As we hear of division, both at home and abroad, they are the values of which we must never lose sight.”
The monarch continued, “Journeying is a constant theme of the Christmas story. The Holy Family made a journey to Bethlehem and arrived homeless without proper shelter. The wise men made a pilgrimage from the east to worship at the cradle of Christ; and the shepherds journeyed from field to town in search of Jesus, the savior of the world. In each case, they journeyed with others; and relied on the companionship and kindness of others.”
The monarch’s holiday speech is broadcast each year at 3 p.m. local time on Dec. 25, and it’s a tradition for many families to watch it as it airs. This year, the King recorded the broadcast in the Lady Chapel in London’s Westminster Abbey.
The Westminster Abbey location marked the second consecutive year that King Charles filmed his broadcast outside of a royal residence, breaking precedent with the late Queen Elizabeth‘s typical tradition. The King recorded his 2024 remarks at Fitzrovia Chapel, Pearson Square — the former hospital chapel a poignant choice at the end of year he announced he was undergoing cancer treatment — and filmed the 2025 message at Lady Chapel, a major church of pilgrimage and key theme of his address this year.
According to the royal family’s official website, “Each broadcast carefully reflects current issues and concerns, and shares the monarch’s reflections on what Christmas means to them and their listeners. Over the years, the Christmas broadcast has acted as a chronicle of global, national and personal events which have affected the monarch and their audience.”
The first royal Christmas speech was delivered by King George V in 1932. According to the royal family’s website, “The original idea for a Christmas speech by the Sovereign was mooted in 1932 by Sir John Reith, the visionary founding father of the BBC, to inaugurate the Empire Service (now the BBC World Service). Originally hesitant about using the relatively untried medium of radio in this way, The King was reassured by a visit to the BBC in the summer of 1932 and agreed to take part. And so, on Christmas Day, 1932, King George V spoke on the ‘wireless’ to the Empire from a small office at Sandringham.”
It took some time for the broadcast to become the tradition it is today, and the speech didn’t take place in 1936 (after King Edward VIII’s abdication) or 1938 (when King George VI didn’t give an address).
According to Royal.UK, “It was the outbreak of war in 1939 which firmly established the Royal Christmas Broadcast. With large parts of the world now facing an uncertain future, King George VI spoke live to offer a message of reassurance to his people.”
Queen Elizabeth took over the tradition when she acceded to the throne in 1952, and she was the first monarch to deliver a televised speech in 1957.
The Christmas remarks have been recorded in advance since 1960, allowing the message to be sent to Commonwealth countries for broadcast at an optimal local time.
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King Charles gave his first Christmas broadcast in December 2022, just three months after his accession. He’s added his own touches to the tradition, from standing beside a replantable tree for the very first time (a nod to his ongoing environmental efforts) to filming outside of royal residences.
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