The King’s Christmas message has invoked the wartime spirit, calling on communities to pull together in an increasingly divided world and urging people to get “to know our neighbours”.
His traditional speech, recorded in Westminster Abbey, remembered this year’s 80th anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day and said we should “never lose sight” of the values in which “communities came together in the face of such great challenge”.
The King, speaking in the abbey’s medieval Lady Chapel, also hailed the “spontaneous bravery” of those who helped in emergencies, such as the Bondi Beach attack in Australia.
A Ukrainian choir sang a carol, with many of the group’s singers in the UK because of the war.
The speech included a call for quiet and calm as “our world seems to spin ever faster”, with King Charles quoting poet TS Eliot’s words about finding the “still point of the turning world”.
A royal aide said this was a reference to the social impact of new technologies on communities, and that people might consider a “digital detox”.
For the second year, the message was delivered in a location away from a royal palace, the King using a chapel in the abbey to talk about life’s “pilgrimage” and the lessons for current times.
In front of Christmas trees originally used for the Princess of Wales’s carol concert at the Abbey, he spoke of the importance of community cohesion and bridging divides.
“As I meet people of different faiths, I find it enormously encouraging to hear how much we have in common,” said the King, speaking under the chapel’s famous vaulted ceiling.
“With the great diversity of our communities we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong.”
He praised the wartime generation’s “courage and sacrifice” and their togetherness in the face of adversity, with the broadcast showing pictures of this year’s commemorations marking 80 years since the end of World War Two in Europe and the Far East.
“These are the values which have shaped our country.
“As we hear of division, both at home and abroad, they are the values of which we must never lose sight,” said the King.
There was praise too for the heroic actions of those caught up in violent incidents.
“Individuals and communities have displayed spontaneous bravery, instinctively placing themselves in harm’s way to defend others,” said the King.
His speech was accompanied by images from Bondi Beach in Australia, where earlier this month bystanders intervened against a gun attack on a Jewish community event.
There were also pictures of the King at a synagogue in Manchester, where he met members of the congregation who had tried to stop an attacker.
As an example of building bridges between religious leaders, the broadcast showed this year’s state visit to the Vatican, with the King speaking of the “historic moment of spiritual unity” when he prayed with Pope Leo.
The King reflected on the Christmas story, describing Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a “homeless” family, and saying their message was about “peace and reconciliation” and represented a “prayer for our times”.
It was a Christmas message that did not dwell on any of the King’s personal challenges.
There was no reference to his health, after he recently recorded a video message saying there was “good news” that his cancer treatment would be reduced next year.
There were no references to his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his titles this year, in the speech.
The accompanying film focused on the working royals, including Prince William and Catherine.
There were pictures of Prince George on his first visit to the Passage homelessness charity, where he went with his father, Prince William, last week.
The King has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion and there was a symbolic sign of this with the broadcast including the Carol of the Bells, a Ukrainian carol sung by the Songs for Ukraine Chorus.
Many members of the choir are in the UK because of the war in Ukraine.
Earlier, the King led the Royals in celebrating the high point of the festive season with a service of Christmas carols and prayers at St Mary Magdalene Church on Charles’s private Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
After the service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk, the royals greeted and interacted with excited crowds who had gathered on the crisp Christmas morning.
- President Commissions 36.5 Million Dollars Hospital In The Tain District
- You Will Not Go Free For Killing An Hard Working MP – Akufo-Addo To MP’s Killer
- I Will Lead You To Victory – Ato Forson Assures NDC Supporters
Visit Our Social Media for More
About Author
