Buckingham Palace has shared the first picture from King Charles’s Christmas speech as the monarch will break tradition.
The King’s Christmas message, which was recorded in a former hospital chapel, will be broadcast on Christmas Day on GB News at 3pm.
In a break from royal tradition, this year’s message was filmed in the Fitzrovia Chapel, London.
The Fitzrovia Chapel is a jewel of Byzantine-inspired architecture located in central London.
Buckingham Palace shares first picture from King Charles’s Christmas speech as monarch breaks tradition
PA
A full-length picture of King Charles recording his speech at the Fitzrovia Chapel
PA
Formerly the chapel of Middlesex Hospital, it is now a space for quiet reflection, discovery and celebration, connecting diverse communities from all faiths or none.
This year marks the first time the Sovereign’s Christmas message has been filmed outside a royal residence since 2006, when it was filmed at Southwark Cathedral.
The living Christmas tree shown in this year’s broadcast was decorated with sustainable decorations including pine cones, metal bells, twisted glass and glass baubles.
Following the broadcast, the Christmas tree was donated to Croydon BME Forum and Macmillan Cancer Support’s ‘Can You C Me?’ project and will be placed in the Royal Trinity Hospice, Clapham, the oldest hospice in the UK.
Queen Camilla has been patron since 2006 and most recently visited the hospice to mark its 130th anniversary in 2021.
King Charles posed for the Christmas speech, wearing a navy blazer, a white shirt and a blue patterned tie.
The blue and white colours may have been a nod to the NHS, following the King’s year of receiving cancer treatment.
Buckingham Palace announced in February that the monarch was beginning a course of treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
He has received this treatment as an outpatient in a London hospital for much of this year.
Princess Kate, 42, also underwent chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer.
The Princess of Wales confirmed in September that she had completed her treatment.
