Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth in June 2022.Photo: Hannah McKay/getty
Queen Elizabeth IIwas clearly onKing Charles III’s mind during a holiday tradition that is so heavily associated with the late monarch.
On Christmas Day, the King’s first Christmas speech was broadcast across the nation. For many, it will be the first time thatQueen Elizabethisn’t the one making the address.
From the start, King Charles he remembered his mother, who died in September at age 96. He filmed the prerecorded address at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, whereQueen ElizabethandPrince Philipare buried. It’s also where the committal service was held for the Queen in September.
“I am standing here in this exquisite Chapel of St. George at Windsor Castle, so close to where my beloved mother, the late Queen, is laid to rest with my dear father,” the King, 74, began his speech. “I am reminded of the deeply touching letters, cards and messages which so many of you have sent my wife and myself and I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family.”
He continued, “Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition.”
King Charles continued his speech, “In the much-loved carol ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem,’ we sing of how ‘in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light.’ My mother’s belief in the power of that light was an essential part of her faith in God, but also her faith in people — and it is one which I share with my whole heart. It is a belief in the extraordinary ability of each person to touch, with goodness and compassion, the lives of others, and to shine a light in the world around them. This is the essence of our community and the very foundation of our society.”
King Charles “has huge empathy” for others experiencing loss, a former palace staffertold PEOPLEahead of the holiday. “We are so used to seeing the iconic footage of the Queen leading her family to church on Christmas morning,” says the staffer. “This year there will be a great deal of reflection and sorrow.”
King Charles.Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty
AtKate Middleton’ssecond annual Christmas carol concertat Westminster Abbey held on Dec. 15, there weremultiple tributes to Queen Elizabeth.
“This carol service is dedicated to Her MajestyQueen ElizabethII, and to all those who are sadly no longer with us. Her Late Majesty’s strongly held values of duty, compassion and faith have guided the creation of this service,” read a message inside the program forRoyal Carols: Together at Christmas.
Queen Elizabeth’s 2021 Christmas speech.Victoria Jones/getty
As the service began, a film played highlighting how the late Queen was at the heart of Christmas Day for so many people.
Prince Williamread part of his late grandmother’s 2012Christmas broadcast.
King Charles and royal family at Christmas 2022.Samir Hussein/WireImage
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source: people.com
