King’s Christmas speech to come from Westminster Abbey

Sean CoughlanRoyal correspondent

PA Media King Charles III in front of Christmas tree delivering speech in Westminster Abbey — The King will give the traditional message from the Abbey’s Lady Chapel

This year’s Christmas message from King Charles III will be delivered from Westminster Abbey.

This traditional speech, filmed in the Lady Chapel of the medieval church in central London, follows his “good news” earlier this month about responding well to cancer treatment.

The King is expected to talk about the “pilgrimage” of life, and the lessons it can teach about the issues of the day, in a message broadcast at 15.00 on Christmas Day.

Last year the speech was given in the Fitzrovia Chapel, which once served hospital staff, and was a symbolic location for a message focusing on the King’s thanks for health workers.

The King was able to re-use the Christmas trees from Catherine’s carol concert

PA Media King Charles in front of Christmas trees in Westminster Abbey which were used for the Princess of Wales's carol concert — The King was able to re-use the Christmas trees from Catherine’s carol concert

This year’s setting is below the Lady Chapel’s famous medieval vaulted ceiling, in a chapel where 15 previous kings and queens are buried, including Elizabeth I, Mary I and Charles II.

It also means that for a second year the Christmas message won’t be delivered from behind a desk inside a palace.

The King will be seen standing in front of Christmas trees which were brought to decorate the Abbey for the Princess of Wales’s carol concert held earlier this month.

Westminster Abbey was also the venue for the King’s recent Advent service, where there were prayers and music from different Christian traditions, including Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox.

There was a display of icons in the Abbey for that service – and when the King visited Pope Leo earlier this year he gave him an icon of St Edward the Confessor, a saint with strong connections to Westminster Abbey.

The Advent service and the trip to the Vatican had reflected one of the King’s longstanding causes – his efforts to build bridges between people of different faiths and backgrounds.

The tradition of an annual Christmas broadcast from the monarch, looking back on the year and addressing current events, dates back to 1932, when George V delivered a speech on the radio.

The first televised Christmas speech was delivered by Elizabeth II in 1957. It’s usually among the most-watched programmes on Christmas Day.