26 | December | 2022

Archive for December 26, 2022

Royal Christmas Address

This Christmas the new King held his first Christmas Day address. The speech was recorded by King Charles in St George’s Chapel, Windsor. He paid tribute to his mother Queen Elizabeth, who is buried in the chapel alongside his father, Prince Philipp, and referred to hardship, foodbanks, and the cost-of-living crisis as well as humility and solidarity. The King also spoke of Christ as the “light that has come into the world”.

In remembrance of the late Queen whose Christmas message of 2021 had proved to be her last one, the King Said: “Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition.”

The King said he wanted to pay tribute to all those wonderfully kind people who so generously give food or donations, or that most precious commodity of all, their time, to support those around them in greatest need. The message highlighted the community work of faith groups: “Such heartfelt solidarity is the most inspiring expression of loving our neighbour as our self,” the monarch said.

The King described how moved he had been to go to the birthplace of Christ in Bethlehem: “It meant more to me than I can possibly express to stand on that spot where, as the Bible tells us, ‘The light that has come into the world’ was born.

By asserting his own Christian belief in this way, King Charles extended the message of light and hope to other religions:

“While Christmas is, of course, a Christian celebration, the power of light overcoming darkness is celebrated across the boundaries of faith and belief.

“So, whatever faith you have, or whether you have none, it is in this life-giving light, and with the true humility that lies in our service to others, that I believe we can find hope for the future.

“Let us therefore celebrate it together, and cherish it always.”