During his annual Christmas address, the King of England spoke about his cancer and expressed his gratitude to medical staff, from a former hospital chapel.
In his traditional Christmas speech, broadcast this Wednesday, December 25 at 4 p.m. on British television, King Charles III addressed a few words to the health personnel who assisted him during the year. A reference to his cancer announced in February, as well as that of his daughter-in-law Princess Kate, revealed a few weeks later.
“I extend my sincere and special thanks to the generous nurses and doctors who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and worries of illness,” he said. he declared.
“They helped instill a sense of strength, involvement and reassurance that we needed,” he continued. “I am also deeply grateful to all those who have sent us their kind words of sympathy and encouragement.”
If Kate Middleton, whose nature of cancer has not been revealed, announced in September the end of her chemotherapy, the king is continuing her treatment. It is also unknown what type of cancer the 76-year-old sovereign suffers from.
Unusual place
King Charles III broke with tradition by delivering his speech in a former hospital chapel in central London, converted into a cultural center; this annual address is usually recorded in a royal residence.
During this pre-recorded speech, the monarch also spoke of the conflicts shaking “the Middle East, Central Europe, Africa” and paid tribute to “humanitarian organizations who work tirelessly to provide vital aid.”
Commonwealth Unity
At the end of this year marked by an eventful trip to Australia, during which the king clashed with anti-monarchy activists calling to “decolonize” the country, he insisted in his speech on the unity of the Commonwealth :
“Diversity of cultures, ethnicities and beliefs brings us strength, not weakness,” he said. “Across the Commonwealth, we are connected to each other by a willingness to listen to each other, learn from each other and find all that we have in common.”
Finally, he returned to the violent far-right riots which shook the United Kingdom last summer, and which he had condemned: “In response to the anger and non-respect of the law in several cities This summer, communities came together not to repeat these behaviors, but to repair,” he said.
“To repair not only buildings, but also relationships. And, most important of all, repair trust” in order to “act for the good of all.”
