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King Charles thanked the doctors who have taken care of him and his daughter-in-law Kate, after they both underwent treatment for cancer this year, in a Christmas message that touched global conflicts and the summer of riots in Britain.
In his third Christmas TV broadcast since becoming king, Charles struck an unusually personal tone for the royal seasonal message, a tradition dating back to a 1932 radio address by George V.
The year has been traumatic for the royal family after Buckingham Palace said in February that the 76-year-old had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer discovered in tests following a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.
A month later, Kate, the wife of his son and heir Prince William, said she was undergoing preventive chemotherapy for cancer that ended in September. William has said the year has been brutal for the family.
“We all go through some form of suffering at some point in our lives, whether it’s mental or physical,” said Charles, who became king in 2022 after Queen Elizabeth’s death.
His words were accompanied by images of a visit he made to a cancer treatment center when he returned to public duties in April and of one of Kate’s first engagements when she returned to work.
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“From a personal point of view, I offer special heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and fears of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we need,” said Charles.
“I am also very grateful to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement,” he said in the pre-recorded broadcast which was 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 next year.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charles was joined by his family, including Kate, William and their children, for a traditional church service at his Sandringham estate in eastern 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 gathering.
DIVERSITY IS A STRENGTH
The king spoke of nationwide riots, which broke out after the July murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed event in northern England, and particularly targeted mosques and immigrants.
“Diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith gives strength, not weakness,” he said.
“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the UK when, in response to anger and lawlessness in several cities this summer, communities came together not to repeat this behavior but to repair, to repair not only buildings but relationships,” he said.
Charles also referred to ongoing wars.
“On this Christmas Day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict in the Middle East, in central Europe, in Africa and elsewhere pose a daily threat to life and existence of so many people,” he said.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Barbara Lewis)
