King's Christmas message reflects on his and Kate's cancer
King Charles spoke of how proud he had been to see communities come together to “repair” the damage rather than repeat it following the riots in Southport, ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship reports
Given he moved this year’s Christmas broadcast away from a royal residence to a tiny chapel with medical connections, we knew the King was going to refer to the difficult year both he and his daughter-in-law have faced.
When King Charles recorded his festive broadcast in 2023, he did not know what awaited him and the Princess of Wales in the following 12 months.
Today, the King walked to church for the 11 o’clock service at Sandringham as a cancer patient as his treatment continues into the new year.
Kate meanwhile, walked to church hand in hand with her youngest child, Prince Louis.
The Wales family have a lot to reflect upon this Christmas following the months during which Kate was receiving chemotherapy treatment.
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Little wonder the Prince of Wales recently referred to 2024 as a “brutal” year for him and his loved ones.
So, in his broadcast from Fitzrovia Chapel in central London, the former Middlesex Hospital chapel, the King made a rare personal note, saying how the year had been uncertain and anxious for him and his family.
The chapel is now a space for those of all faiths and none, who can come to sit in the still and quiet surroundings just steps away from Oxford Street.
The King wanted to pass his personal thanks to the doctors and nurses who have supported him and Kate through their cancer treatment which had given them “strength, care and comfort”.
The appreciation was also extended to those neither of them know, who have sent messages of support and goodwill.
We don’t know what cancer the King has nor what treatment he is receiving, but we do know his doctors will continue to manage his cancer care into 2025.
A theme of his speech this year was “listening and understanding”.
And whilst he spoke about the summer riots which erupted in several towns and cities following the killing of three young girls in Southport, Charles decided to focus on the unity rather than the division.
He spoke of how proud he had been to see communities come together to “repair” the damage rather than repeat it.
And he talked about the importance of repairing relationships and trust between people after many days in which hatred had been the focus.
It was also a year in which the King was confronted with the wrongs of British colonial rule.
In October, in Australia, he met indigenous people whose ancestors were murdered and displaced following the arrival of British settlers.
At the Commonwealth summit in Samoa – the King’s first as head of the Commonwealth – Charles met leaders from countries who are still calling for reparations for the wrongs of the transatlantic slave trade.
“Diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith”, he said, “provides strength, not weakness.”
His listening theme tied together history and the present when he said: “through listening, we learn to respect our differences, to defeat prejudice.”
This is a King who has, this year, been hugged by women rugby players and indigenous Australians alike, and after a very difficult 2024 for him and those close to him – King Charles, notwithstanding his continuing health struggles, will be hoping for a smoother 2025.
This is the Talking Royals - our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson