Comment on this storyCommentAdd to your saved storiesSave
LONDON – In the annual ceremonial address of King Charles III. The British monarch posed next to a replantable tree decorated with dried oranges and delivered a message acknowledging the “growing awareness” of the need to protect the planet.
The monarch's Christmas message has long been a staple in Britain – like wearing silly Christmas jumpers or colorful paper hats.
The speeches are undisputed – and this year's was no exception. But it is also one of the few times the monarch will deliver a speech he wrote himself, without government guidance, meaning royal watchers are paying close attention. The address is typically viewed by millions in the UK and Commonwealth countries.
Charles, like his mother Queen Elizabeth II did during her long reign, used his speech to reference current events, the Christian faith and his reflections on the year of his coronation. This is Charles' second Christmas address since his accession to the throne in 2022.
The king touched on an issue that was close to his heart: the environment. Charles is a well-known conservationist known for his strong opinions on climate change. But during his first year as monarch, he kept much of his intercession in check. And although he has admitted he can no longer speak out like he used to, Charles has shown this year that the environment is still an issue close to his heart.
In 2023, he gave a speech to world leaders at Cop28 – the UN climate conference -, visited ecology-themed projects during a state visit to France and launched a food waste project on his 75th birthday.
He also made sustainability a central theme in his Christmas message and in the background of the program.
“Over the course of my life, I have enjoyed seeing a growing awareness of the need to protect the Earth and our natural world as the only home we all share,” Charles said.
“I now find great inspiration in the way so many people recognize this – as well as the Christmas story, which tells us that angels first brought the message of hope to the shepherds. These were people who simply lived among other creatures of God. Those close to nature were privileged that evening,” he said.
In the video, Charles was seen next to a live Christmas tree, which journalists said was due to be replanted after the broadcast. Decorations included dried oranges, pine cones and paper.
In a carefully worded section, he also discussed what he described as “conflict around the world” but refrained from naming specific countries.
“At a time of increasingly tragic conflict in the world, I pray that we can also do everything in our power to protect each other,” he said. “Jesus' words seem more relevant than ever: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' Such values are universal and unite our Abrahamic religious family and other belief systems across the Commonwealth and around the world.”
The speech was recorded in a room at London's Buckingham Palace that opens onto the balcony where royals gather on significant occasions to wave to their subjects, as they did at the coronation of Charles and Camilla earlier this year.
The king was actually referring to the coronation. “My wife and I were delighted when hundreds of representatives of this selfless army of people – volunteers who serve their communities in so many ways and with such distinction – were able to attend the coronation at Westminster Abbey earlier this year.”
He called volunteers “an essential backbone of our society.”
Unlike Elizabeth, Charles did not surround himself with family photos. In recent years, the photos on display have drawn attention to who is there – and who is not.
Charles and Camilla were not at Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day. They were at her Sandringham estate where they attended their traditional Christmas service. The king's disgraced brother Prince Andrew joined the royal family for the service, as did his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
They were joined by several other members of the House of Windsor, including William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their three children.