King Charles praises health workers in first Christmas speech since cancer diagnosis

King Charles used his annual Christmas message to pay tribute to the sacrifices of those who have cared for him and the Princess of Wales this year as they both undergo cancer treatment.

The 76-year-old king said in a recorded message released on Wednesday that he and his family are “always impressed” by those who give their lives to help others.

“From a personal perspective, I extend a special, heartfelt thank you to the selfless doctors and nurses this year who have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainty and anxieties of illness and helped give us the strength, care and comfort that I needed,” he said in a pre-recorded speech.

The broadcast came hours after the king waved to a large crowd of people who had traditionally gathered to see the royal family attend Christmas Day services at Sandringham Church, a breezy North Sea beach resort that has served as the family home for generations. .

A year of illness in the Royal family

The King's Christmas speech is the third since he came to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022, but the first since he was diagnosed with undisclosed cancer in February.

The King's holiday message is watched by millions of people in the UK and across the Commonwealth of Nations, and many families time their Christmas lunch around it.

The Beast's treatment, which is believed to be ongoing, has forced him to withdraw from the public eye for two months. He has eased back into public life in recent months and was in good spirits on a tour of Australia and the South Pacific in October.

A few weeks after Charles began treatment, the Princess of Wales announced she had cancer, sidelining her for most of the year.

In her speech at the annual Christmas service at Westminster Abbey which was recorded this month and broadcast on Tuesday evening, Catherine also showed the love and support she has received.

“The story of Christmas encourages us to consider the experiences and feelings of others,” she said. “It also shows our vulnerability and reminds us of the importance of giving and receiving compassion, and how much we need each other despite our differences.”

Charles spoke at Fitzrovia Chapel, in central London, which was part of the now-demolished Middlesex Hospital where his first wife, Diana, opened London's first AIDS ward.

Silo gave the outreach team the task of finding a place away from the royal house, and with links to health, a strong community presence and a place of comfort and reflection for those with or without faith.

Charles accompanied Queen Camilla as his eldest son, Prince William, Catherine and their three children followed. Silo's daughter-in-law, who has slowly returned to public work after completing chemotherapy, hugged a cancer patient after the service.

Charles' two siblings, Anne, Princess Royal, and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, were also in the procession.

Notably absent from St. Mary Magdalene Church was Prince Andrew. Second in line to the British throne, the 64-year-old King's brother has become a constant source of tabloid fodder for his financial woes and connections to questionable characters, including the late American financier and convicted rapist Jeffrey Epstein.

Recently, a Chinese businessman has been banned from the UK over concerns he developed links with Andrew on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.

A message for those enduring 'devastating' conflict

It is a rare occasion when the monarch's Christmas message can be recorded at a royal location, particularly Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. When his late mother recorded her message outside the royal palace in 2006.

Charles also paid tribute to the Second World War soldiers who died on the beaches of northern France and the few remaining veterans, many of them centenarians, who attended the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, in June.

He said it was “a great honor” to meet “remarkable veterans of that very special generation who bravely sacrificed themselves for all of us” but that was worrying the world this Christmas.

“During the previous celebrations, we were able to console ourselves by thinking that these events rarely happen in the present,” he said.

“But on this Christmas Day, we cannot think of those whose tragic consequences of conflicts in the Middle East, Central Europe, Africa and elsewhere pose a daily threat to the lives of many people and their lives.”