King Charles paid several touching tributes to his mother the late Queen Elizabeth II in his first Christmas broadcast.
The Queen would often record her Christmas broadcast at her home in Buckingham Palace, setting a tradition that the backdrop is of her golden fireplace and a towering ornate tree, located in her White Drawing Room.
Breaking from tradition, in a subtle nod to his mother's passing, the king decided to film his first festive message in the quire of St George's Chapel, where the Royal Family sat during the Queen's committal service.
The queen has on rare occasions filmed her own Christmas message at the chapel but it also marks the location where her husband and King Charles' father, Prince Philip, was laid to rest.
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Bringing attention to the fact in his speech, the king said: "I am standing here in this exquisite Chapel of St George at Windsor Castle, so close to where my beloved mother, the late Queen, is laid to rest with my dear father.
"I am reminded of the deeply touching letters, cards and messages which so many of you have sent my wife and myself and I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family.
"Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition."
The king also highlighted his mother's kind and charitable heart as he drew comparisons to her faith and the Christian carol O Little Town Of Bethlehem.
He added: "In the much-loved carol O Little Town Of Bethlehem we sing of how 'in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light'. My mother's belief in the power of that light was an essential part of her faith in God, but also her faith in people and it is one which I share with my whole heart."
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