King Charles thanked the doctors who took care of him and his relatives daughter-in-law Kate, after they both underwent cancer treatment this year, in a Christmas Day message that touched on global conflict and the summer unrest in Britain.
In his third Christmas television broadcast since becoming king, Charles struck an unusually personal tone for the royal Christmas message, a tradition that dates back to a radio address by George V in 1932.
The year has been traumatic for the royals after Buckingham Palace said in February the 76-year-old had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer during tests following corrective surgery for an enlarged prostate.
A month later, Kate, the wife of his son and heir to the throne Prince William, said she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer, which was completed in September. William said the year had been brutal for the family.
“We all experience some form of suffering at some point in our lives, be it mental or physical,” said Charles, who became king in 2022 after the death of Queen Elizabeth.
His words were accompanied by footage of a visit to a cancer treatment center upon his return to public service in April and one of Kate’s first appointments as she returned to work.
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“From a personal perspective, I would especially like to thank the selfless doctors and nurses who have supported me and other members of my family this year through the uncertainties and fears of the disease and given me the strength, care and comfort that we have .” “I needed it,” said Charles.
“I am also deeply grateful to everyone who has offered us their own kind words of compassion and encouragement,” he said in the recorded broadcast, filmed in an ornate chapel of a former London hospital.
Last week, a palace source said the king’s treatment was progressing well and would continue into next year.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charles and his family, including Kate, William and their children, gathered for a traditional church service at his Sandringham estate in the east of England.
Charles’ brother Prince Andrew, who was embroiled in another scandal this month when a close business associate was banned from Britain over government suspicions he was a Chinese agent, was a notable absentee from the royal meeting.
DIVERSITY A STRENGTH
The king spoke about nationwide unrest that erupted after the murder of three girls in July at a Taylor Swift-themed event in northern England, largely targeting mosques and immigrants.
“Diversity in culture, ethnicity and faith gives strength, not weakness,” he said.
“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the UK as, in response to the anger and lawlessness in several cities this summer, communities came together not to repeat these behaviors but to repair, not just buildings but relationships to repair,” he said.
Charles also referred to the ongoing wars.
“This Christmas Day we must remember those for whom the devastating impact of conflict in the Middle East, Central Europe, Africa and elsewhere poses a daily threat to the lives and livelihoods of so many people,” he said.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Barbara Lewis)
