He expressed his gratitude to caregivers, as well as his “pride” in the British people. King Charles III paid tribute to the medical staff who brought “support” and “comfort” to the royal family, during his Christmas speech on Wednesday, at the end of a year marked by the cancers of the monarch and his daughter-in-law Kate.
The 76-year-old king spoke in a pre-recorded message from a former hospital chapel in London, a symbolic choice.
“I extend special and sincere thanks to the dedicated doctors and nursing staff who, this year, supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties associated with the illness, and brought us strength, care and comfort we needed,” he said.
“I am also deeply grateful to all those who have kindly sent us words of sympathy and encouragement,” he added.
The British royal family has had a trying year in 2024, with the announcement of the king's cancer in February and, in March, that of the Princess of Wales. The illness temporarily kept them away from public life. Prince William, the king's eldest son and Kate's husband, recently said he had had the “hardest” year of his life.
“A feeling of pride”
Charles, who became king in 2022 upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, resumed his activities at the end of April. He is still being treated for his cancer, the nature of which has not been revealed. Princess Kate announced in September the end of her chemotherapy, and also gradually resumed her official outings.
In his speech, the king also mentioned the anti-immigration riots which shook the country this summer after the death of three little girls killed during a knife attack.
“I felt a deep sense of pride when here in the UK, in response to the anger and anarchy in many cities this summer, people came together not to repeat these behaviors, but to fix them “, he said.
“Devastating conflicts”
He sent a message of peace in the face of conflicts around the world, at the end of a year where many leaders celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings which paved the way for the liberation of France and the defeat of Nazi Germany.
“In previous commemorations of the (Landings), we could console ourselves by telling ourselves that these tragic events rarely occur in the modern era,” Charles said.
“But on this Christmas Day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflicts in the Middle East, Central Europe, Africa and elsewhere pose a daily threat.”
The sovereign praised “the diversity of cultures, ethnic identities and faiths” of Commonwealth countries. In October he participated in the summit of this organization in Samoa, at the end of which the member countries considered that the time had “come” to discuss “restorative justice” regarding the British colonial past and slavery. “Across the Commonwealth, we are united by the desire to listen to each other,” assured Charles III.
In keeping with tradition, Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, are meeting other members of the royal family for Christmas at the Sandringham residence in eastern England.
Prince Andrew, brother of the prince, is absent. The revelation of his links with a Chinese businessman suspected of espionage recently made headlines, and adds to the disgrace of Andrew, already implicated in the past for his proximity to the late American financier and child molester Jeffrey Epstein, and for sexual assault accusations that resulted in a financial settlement.
Among others absent, Charles' second son, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan. Breaking with the royal family since 2020, the couple and their two children live in California.
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