The King’s Speech: Read Charles’ Christmas message to the nation in full
The King’s speech this year points to the Second World War values of “courage and sacrifice”, promotes community cohesion and encourages the country to slow down from fast-developing technology.
Charles also praised the “spontaneous courage” of those who “put themselves in harm’s way to defend others” during the Bondi Beach shootings and the Manchester synagogue attack.
This is the king’s mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. It marks his fourth Christmas broadcast since his accession to the throne following Elizabeth’s death in September 2022.
The venue chosen for this year’s Christmas speech was Westminster Abbey, which is visited annually by pilgrims to honor the tomb of Edward the Confessor, to reflect the theme of pilgrimage in his speech.
The King’s full Christmas speech:
“A few weeks ago, the Queen and I had the pleasure of paying an official visit to the Vatican, where we prayed with Pope Leo in a historic moment of spiritual unity. Together we celebrated the Jubilee theme ‘Passengers of Hope’.
“Pilgrimage is a word less used today, but it has a special significance for our modern world, especially at Christmas. It’s about traveling forward, into the future, while also traveling backwards to remember and learn from the past.”
“We did this in the summer as we celebrated the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day.
“The end of the Second World War is now remembered by fewer and fewer of us as the years go by, but the bravery and sacrifice of our servicemen and women, and the way communities came together in the face of such a great challenge, carries a message that will never get old for us all.
“These are the values that have shaped our country and the Commonwealth. When we hear of divisions at home and abroad, these are the values we should never lose sight of.
“For example, as the headstones in our war cemeteries remind us, it is impossible not to be deeply affected by the ages of our martyrs. The young people who fought in both world wars and helped save us from defeat were often only 18, 19 or 20 years old.
“Journey is a constant theme of the Christmas story. The holy family made a journey to Bethlehem and arrived homeless, without proper shelter.
“Wise men made pilgrimages from the east to worship the cradle of Christ; shepherds traveled from field to city in search of Jesus, savior of the world. In each situation, they traveled with others and relied on the friendship and kindness of others. They found inner strength through physical and mental challenges.
“To this day, in times of uncertainty, these ways of life are valued by all the major faiths and provide us with profound sources of hope: resilience in the face of adversity; peace through forgiveness; simply knowing our neighbors and building new friendships while respecting each other.
“In fact, as our world seems to spin faster and faster, our journey may pause to quiet our minds and allow our souls to renew, in the words of TS Eliot, ‘At the still point of the whirling world.’ “In this, with the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right prevails over wrong.
“It seems to me that we need to value the values of compassion and reconciliation, which are the way our Lord lived and died.
“I have heard so many examples of this this year, both at home and abroad. These stories of the triumph of courage over adversity give me hope, from our revered military veterans to the selfless humanitarian workers in this century’s most dangerous conflict zones, to the ways in which individuals and communities demonstrate spontaneous courage and instinctively put themselves at risk to defend others.
“As I meet people of different faiths, I find it extremely encouraging to hear how much we have in common: a common longing for peace and a deep respect for all life. If we can find the time to reflect on these virtues in our life’s journey, we can all make the future more hopeful.”
“Of course, the greatest of pilgrimages is the one we celebrate today, the story of the One who ‘descended from Heaven to Earth’, whose ‘dwelling was a barn’ and who shared his life ‘with the poor and needy.’
“It was a pilgrimage with a goal heralded by the angels to bring about peace on earth. That prayer for peace and reconciliation that rang out in the fields near Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago – ‘do unto others as we would have them do unto us’ – still echoes from there and around the world today.
“This is also a prayer for our times and our societies as we journey through our lives. With these words and with all my heart, I wish you all a very peaceful and very happy Christmas.”
