King Charles’s Christmas speech in full as he delivers rare personal message about health

has delivered a rare personal Christmas message yesterday, paying tribute to the “selfless” doctors and nurses who have supported him and the Princess of Wales during their cancer treatment.

Charles, 76, used his annual address to offer his “heartfelt thanks” to the medical teams that provided “strength, care, and comfort ” during “the uncertainties of illness.”

He also shone a light on how communities came together after the riots sparked by the horror stabbings in Southport that left three young girls dead and commemorated the sacrifices of servicemen and women. 

Speaking from Fitzrovia Chapel, a former London hospital chapel, the King said: “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 anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed.

“I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.”

The monarch’s candid words reflect on what has been a difficult year for the Royal Family, with Charles and Kate diagnosed with cancer in quick succession. 

But the two senior royals have chosen to be open about their illnesses, in a bid to reach out to those in similar situations.

The King was especially keen to use his diagnosis for good, and chose not to reveal the type of cancer he has to reach the widest number of people.

Since his return to public facing duties at the end of April, the King has also sought to meet patients and families living with cancer, as well as academics and researchers of the disease. 

His first engagement since his diagnosis saw him and the Queen visit University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London, where he spoke of the “shock” at being told he had cancer. 

As images were broadcast of the King meeting fellow cancer patients, he said: “All of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life, be it mental or physical. The degree to which we help one another – and draw support from each other, be we people of faith or of none – is a measure of our civilisation as nations.”

His health message was especiall poignant as he chose to deliver his Christmas speech from a former a former London hospital chapel, rather than from a royal estate. 

The breathtaking Fitztrovia Chapel served patients and staff of the now demolished Middlesex Hospital as a place of solace and reflection.

The King’s cancer treatment will continue into the New Year but doctors are understood to be very pleased with his progress.

He is planning a full programme of national and international engagements for 2025, with trips to Italy and India in the works. 

Kate completed her course of chemotherapy at the end of the summer and has already started to gradually return to public duties.

In December she led her annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, where she was joined by her husband and their three children. 

The King also used his speech to praise community cohesion in the wake of riots following the Southport stabbings. 

The people behind the violent disturbances, which saw mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers targeted, were “largely racially motivated criminal thugs”, the Metropolitan commissioner said.

“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the United Kingdom when, in response to anger and lawlessness in several towns this summer, communities came together, not to repeat these behaviours, but to repair,” the King said in his address. 

“To repair not just buildings, but relationships. And, most importantly, to repair trust; by listening and, through understanding, deciding how to act for the good of all.”

At the time, Charles was briefed daily about the situation and was engaging privately in the issues generated by the outbreak of violence across the country.

In August, the King interrupted his summer break in Balmoral to express his continues support for those affected by the July attack.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also visited the families of the victims in October, which marked Kate’s first community visit of the year.

The Christmas broadcast showed images from their visit, where they spoke with emergency workers who responded to the fatal Southport stabbings. 

Elsewhere in the speech, the King referenced his visit to a Commonwealth summit in Samoa in October and suggested the institution’s strength lay in its “diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith” and how its member states listened to each other – something that allowed people to “learn to respect our differences” and “defeat prejudice”.

Highlights of the royal year were shown from the King being hugged by a group of New Zealand female rugby players, the Princess Royal at an event, scenes from Kate’s annual carol concert and crowds outside Sydney Opera House meeting the King and Queen during their visit to Australia earlier this year.

The broadcast, produced this year by Sky News, ended with the choir Inner Voices singing the carol Once In Royal David’s City.

King Charles’s Speech in full:

“Earlier this year, as we commemorated the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, the Queen and I had the enormous privilege of meeting, once again, the remarkable veterans of that very special generation who gave of themselves so courageously, on behalf of us all.

“Listening to these once-young service men and women touched us deeply as they spoke of their comrades, drawn from across the Commonwealth, who never returned and who now rest peacefully where they made the ultimate sacrifice. Their example of service and selflessness continues to inspire, across the generations.

“During previous commemorations we were able to console ourselves with the thought that these tragic events seldom happen in the modern era.

“But, 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 so many people’s lives and livelihoods.

“We also think of the humanitarian organisations working tirelessly to bring vital relief. After all, the Gospels speak so vividly of conflict and teach the values with which we can overcome it.

“The example that Jesus gave us is timeless and universal. It is to enter the world of those who suffer, to make a difference to their lives and so bring hope where there is despair.

“As the famous Christmas Carol, ‘Once In Royal David’s City’ reminds us, ‘Our Saviour holy’ ‘came down to Earth from Heaven’, lived among ‘the poor and mean and lowly’ and transformed the lives of those he met, through God’s ‘redeeming love’.

“That is the heart of the Nativity Story and we can hear its beat in the belief of all the great faiths in the love and mercy of God in times of joy and of suffering, calling us to bring light where there is darkness.

“All of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life, be it mental or physical. The degree to which we help one another – and draw support from each other, be we people of faith or of none – is a measure of our civilisation as nations.

“This is what continually impresses me, as my family and I meet with, and listen to, those who dedicate their lives to helping others.

“I am speaking to you today from the Chapel of the former Middlesex Hospital in London – now itself a vibrant community space – and thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals and volunteers here in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart, care for others – often at some cost to themselves.

“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 anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed.

“I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.

“On our recent visit to the South Pacific to attend the Commonwealth summit, I was reminded constantly of the strength which institutions, as well as individuals, can draw from one another. And of how diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith provides strength, not weakness.

“Across the Commonwealth, we are held together by a willingness to listen to each other, to learn from one another and to find just how much we have in common. Because, through listening, we learn to respect our differences, to defeat prejudice, and to open up new possibilities.

“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the United Kingdom when, in response to anger and lawlessness in several towns this summer, communities came together, not to repeat these behaviours, but to repair. To repair not just buildings, but relationships. And, most importantly, to repair trust; by listening and, through understanding, deciding how to act for the good of all.

“Again, listening is a recurrent theme of the Nativity story. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, listened to the Angel who revealed to her a different future full of hope for all people. The message of the Angels to the shepherds – that there should be peace on Earth – in fact echoes through all faiths and philosophies.

“It rings true to this day for people of goodwill across the world. And so it is with this in mind that I wish you, and all those you love, a most joyful and peaceful Christmas.”