King Charles thanked the doctors who cared for him and his daughter-in-law, Kate, after they underwent cancer treatment this year, in a message on Christmas Day that touched on the global conflicts and riots that Britain witnessed this summer.
In his third Christmas television broadcast since becoming king, Charles struck an unusually personal tone for the seasonal royal message, a tradition dating back to a 1932 radio address by George V.
This year has been painful for the royal family after Buckingham Palace announced last February that the 76-year-old prince had been diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer that was discovered in tests after 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, which ended in September. William said the year had been tough for the family.
Charles, who became king in 2022 after the death of Queen Elizabeth, said: “We all go through some kind of suffering at some point in our lives, whether psychological or physical.”
His words were accompanied by footage of a visit he made to a cancer treatment center upon his return to public duties in April, and one of Kate’s first engagements when she resumed work.
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“From my personal perspective, I extend a special thank you from the bottom of my heart to the dedicated doctors and nurses who have supported me and other family members this year through the uncertainty and anxiety associated with the disease, and helped provide the strength, care and comfort we needed,” said Charles.
“I am also very grateful to all those who have offered us their kind words of sympathy and encouragement,” he said in the pre-recorded broadcast, which was filmed in the ornate chapel of a former hospital in London.
Last week, a palace source said the king’s treatment was progressing well and would continue until next year.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charles was joined by his family, including Kate, William and their children, to attend a traditional church service at his home in Sandringham in eastern England.
Charles’s brother, Prince Andrew, who was embroiled in another scandal this month when a close business partner was banned from Britain due to government suspicions that he was a Chinese agent, was a notable absentee from the royal meeting.
Diversity is strength
The king spoke of the nationwide riots that broke out following the killing of three girls in July at a Taylor Swift-themed event in northern England, mainly targeting mosques and immigrants.
“Cultural, ethnic and belief diversity provides strength, not weakness,” he said.
He said: “I felt a deep sense of pride here in the UK when communities came together, in response to the anger and lawlessness in so many towns this summer, not to repeat these behaviours, but to repair and mend not just buildings, but relationships as well.” He said.
Charles also referred to the constant wars.
“On this Christmas Day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict in the Middle East, Central Europe, Africa and elsewhere pose a daily threat to the lives and livelihoods of too many people,” he said.
(Reporting by Michael Holden, Editing by Barbara Lewis)
