King breaks with royal tradition for Christmas speech
King Charles will deliver his traditional Christmas Day message from a former hospital chapel, Buckingham Palace says, in a break from tradition and a nod to the British monarch’s ongoing treatment for cancer.
In February, the palace revealed the 76-year-old, who became king in 2022, had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer detected in tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.
Last week, a palace source said his treatment was moving in a positive direction and would continue into next year.
For his annual pre-recorded Christmas Day broadcast to be aired on Wednesday, Charles has selected the Fitzrovia Chapel, an ornate former church on the site of a former hospital in central London.
“It is now a space for quiet reflection, discovery and celebration, connecting diverse communities from all faiths or none,” Buckingham Palace said on X, adding that the king’s grandfather George VI had laid the building’s foundation stone in 1928.
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The king’s message will hail the hard work and dedication of healthcare workers as well as community cohesion in the wake of riots after the Southport stabbings according to media reports.
A royal source said the message would reflect on international, national and personal challenges and how they can be overcome by communities supporting one another.
The seasonal messages date back to a radio speech by his great-grandfather George V in 1932, and are usually filmed in one of the monarch’s homes, with the late Queen Elizabeth last filming the broadcast outside a royal residence in 2006.
Last year, Charles delivered his message from Buckingham Palace.
The Daily Telegraph, which had earlier learned of the location, reported that Charles himself had chosen the chapel as he faced his own health issues.
A source told the paper the monarch wanted his message to feel fresher and more modern.
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Cadbury loses royal warrant
Cadbury is “disappointed” after losing its royal warrant.
The chocolate company is among the brands and products that have had their warrants withdrawn under the King, a list published by Buckingham Palace’s Royal Warrant Holders Association shows.
The company had held the royal warrant for 170 years since 1854.
Consumer goods firm Unilever, which owns Dove and Lipton, was also stripped of its warrant.
Earlier in 2024, Charles was urged by campaign group B4Ukraine to take warrants from companies “still operating in Russia” after the invasion of Ukraine, naming Mondelez, which owns Cadbury, and Unilever.
A Mondelez International spokesperson said: “Whilst we are disappointed to be one of hundreds of other businesses and brands in the UK to not have a new warrant awarded, we are proud to have previously held one, and we fully respect the decision.”
A Unilever spokesperson said: “We are very proud of the long history our brands have supplying the royal household and of the warrants they have been awarded during this time, most recently by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“The granting of royal warrants is a matter for the royal household.”
-with AAP
