The King filmed his Christmas Day message in a chapel this year (Image: Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
A new photo of has been on Wednesday.
The still photograph from his Christmas message shows the monarch, 76, smiling in the Fitzrovia Chapel in London, with a Christmas tree and other festive decorations behind him.
It is understood that Charles was keen to film his third Christmas message at an external location, rather than at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, in a bid to give it a more modern feel.
His Christmas message will be broadcast at 3pm on Christmas Day, and will be watched by millions of people, likely to also include the Royal Family themselves at Sandringham.
Here have looked at five hidden details you may have missed in the new Christmas photo, which is the first look at the King’s Christmas Day broadcast:
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It was not filmed at a royal estate
The photograph of the King and his upcoming Christmas Day message was not taken at a royal estate this year and was instead taken at a former hospital chapel in Pearson Square, central London.
The of Middlesex Hospital and is used by the public as a space for quiet reflection, discovery and celebration.
It also has a poignant meaning for the King as his grandfather King George VI, laid the foundation stone of the building in 1928.
It is believed the monarch’s decision to film at the chapel is a nod to his health struggles this year and his faith.
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The Christmas tree is real and decorated with sustainable items (Image: Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
It features a real and living Christmas tree
The Christmas tree behind the King is also a real Christmas tree, rather than an artificial one. It has also been noted that the tree is a living tree and will be replanted after Christmas.
This marks the second year the King has done that.
The tree is decorated with sustainable decorations
The monarch, who is a big advocate of the environment, also stood in front of a tree that has been decorated with sustainable decorations.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the beautiful tree was decorated with a number of environmentally-friendly decorations including pinecones, metal bells, twisted glass and glass baubles, as opposed to plastic baubles often seen on Christmas trees.
The tree was donated to charity after the Christmas message
The tree featuring in the Christmas message has also been donated to charity this year.
Buckingham Palace said that it 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 in Clapham – the oldest hospice in the United Kingdom.
Her Majesty Queen Camilla has been patron of the hospice since 2006 and most recently visited in 2021 to mark its 130th anniversary.
Queen Camilla last visited the hospice as Patron in 2021 (Image: Eddie Mulholland-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The King is standing closer to the camera than usual
In this still photograph of the King from his Christmas message this year, the monarch, 76, can be seen standing a lot closer to the camera than usual.
In his first Christmas Day broadcast as King in 2022, Charles filmed his message in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. The annual message was then filmed in Buckingham Palace last year.
In both these addresses, the King was much further away from the camera as he wished people across the world a merry Christmas. This year, the King can be seen standing closer to the camera than usual, suggesting that the message may be a lot more personal than years before.