To all who celebrate, a very merry Christmas! Today, December 25, families around the world will be exchanging presents, sharing meals and plenty of other traditions. And for many, that tradition includes settling down in front of the television for the King’s Speech.
And this year, the second address of King Charles’ reign, His Majesty is set to make history with two key details – which is even more impressive considering the long history of the speech.
But, as we know from a life packed full of interesting facts, King Charles is not afraid of making a splash.
For the first time ever, it’s believed the monarch will issue a speech written entirely alone – without the input of advisers.
A royal source has reported in the Daily Mail that the King has written the speech without recourse to royal advisors, following a developing instinct for speaking off the cuff. It’s another example of the King making his own mark as monarch – as he has always been in favour of being more outspoken on his opinions than the late Queen Elizabeth was.
He recently gave a passionate speech at Cop28, urging everyone to join the fight against climate change, and sharing a heartbreaking plea that we’ve fallen “so far off track.”
In keeping with his passion for the environment, another way in which Charles’ speech will make history is that he will be stood in front of a live Christmas tree for the first time.
The tree will also be decorated with “natural and sustainable decorations, including hand turned wood, dried oranges, brown glass, pine cones and paper” and will be replanted afterwards.
The speech has already been recorded in Buckingham Palace's Centre Room and will be broadcast to the nation at 3pm.
The Royal Christmas Message officially started in 1932, when King George V read the first message to the nation via the medium of radio. It became a continued tradition, usually at the end of a much lengthier broadcast offering greetings from different members of the commonwealth.
King George's daughter and successor, Queen Elizabeth II, gave her first Christmas message to the Commonwealth of Nations from her study at Sandringham House, at 3:07 PM on 25 December 1952, 10 months after her father's death.
Five years later, in 1957, the message was broadcast on television for the first time – and it has become an annual televised broadcast ever since.
There have only been three years without a Christmas speech on TV – in 1959 and 1963, due to the Queen being heavily pregnant at the time, and in 1969 when a special documentary following the Royal Family aired in its place.
In 2022, the King delivered his first ever speech as monarch.
He delivered the poignant address from St George's Chapel in Windsor, just months after his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, was laid to rest at the location.
