King Charles thanked the doctors who took care of him and his daughter-in-law Kate, after they both underwent cancer treatment this year, in a Christmas Day message touching on global conflicts and the summer riots in Britain.
In his third Christmas television broadcast since becoming king, Charles adopted an unusually personal tone for the seasonal royal message, a tradition that dates back to a 1932 radio address by George V.
It has been a traumatic year for the royal family after Buckingham Palace said in February that the 76-year-old had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer detected during tests after a corrective procedure for enlargement of the prostate.
A month later, Kate, the wife of his son and heir Prince William, said she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer which ended in September. William said it had been a brutal year for the family.
“We all go through some form of suffering at some point in our lives, whether mental or physical,” said Charles, who became king in 2022 after the death of Queen Elizabeth.
His words were accompanied by footage of a visit he made to a cancer treatment center upon his return to public duty in April and one of Kate’s first engagements when she returned to work .
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“On a personal note, I extend my sincere thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of the disease , and have helped to give us the strength, care and comfort that we have. I needed it,” Charles said.
“I am also deeply grateful to all those who have offered us their kind words of sympathy and encouragement,” he said in the pre-recorded broadcast filmed in an ornate chapel at a former London hospital.
Last week, a palace source said the king’s treatment was progressing well and would continue into next year.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charles was joined by his family, including Kate, William and their children, for a traditional church service at his Sandringham estate in eastern England.
Absent was Charles’ brother Prince Andrew, who was embroiled in another scandal this month when a close associate was banned from Britain over government suspicions that he was a Chinese agent. notable of the royal meeting.
DIVERSITY, A STRENGTH
The king spoke about the nationwide riots, which erupted following the July killings of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed event in the north of England, and which have mainly targeted mosques and immigrants.
“Cultural, ethnic and religious diversity is a strength and not a weakness,” he said.
“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the UK when, in response to the anger and anarchy in several cities this summer, communities came together not to repeat these behaviors, but to repair, to repairing not only buildings, but also relationships,” he said. said.
Charles also made reference to the ongoing wars.
“This Christmas Day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflicts in the Middle East, Central Europe, Africa and elsewhere pose a daily threat to the lives and livelihoods of many people,” he said.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Barbara Lewis)