London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

King Charles' first Christmas speech reflects cost-of-living crisis

King Charles' first Christmas speech reflects cost-of-living crisis

King Charles has used his first Christmas message to reflect on the cost-of-living crisis.

He spoke of the "great anxiety and hardship" for those struggling to "pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm".

There were images of food banks and help for the homeless alongside the speech, recorded by the King in St George's Chapel, Windsor.

He paid tribute to his mother Queen Elizabeth, who is buried in the chapel.

The late Queen pioneered the televised royal Christmas Day address, and used what was to become her final message last year to speak of "passing the baton" to the next generation.

The themes of the King's speech touched on some of his causes and beliefs - concern for the disadvantaged, the importance of public service and supporting a multi-faith approach to religion.

Only "working royals" appeared on screen in the King's broadcast, including the Queen Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal.

That meant that Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were not mentioned. The Duke of York was also not included.

At a time of industrial strife and financial pressures, the King's message focused on those supporting people in need.

"I particularly want to pay tribute to all those wonderfully kind people who so generously give food or donations, or that most precious commodity of all, their time, to support those around them in greatest need," said the King.

The message was accompanied by pictures of charities giving food to the homeless and volunteers helping at a food bank.

Buckingham Palace has said funds donated after the death of the late Queen were being given to a charity helping those unable to pay energy bills.

The King has gathered with other senior royals at Sandringham, Norfolk, for Christmas, and earlier attended the traditional Christmas Day service for the first time as monarch.


Last year the Queen spoke of "passing the baton" to the next generation

The King praised the emergency services who "worked tirelessly to keep us all safe", teachers and health and social care staff.

Last year proved to be the late Queen's last Christmas message, and the King remembered the "love and sympathy" that followed her death in September.

"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," said the King.

Standing "close to where my beloved mother, the late Queen is laid to rest with my dear father", he spoke of his mother's faith in God and also her "faith in people".

The message highlighted the community work of faith groups, and the King, as well as asserting his own Christian belief, extended this to other religions.

He spoke of the "heartfelt solidarity" shown by "churches, synagogues, mosques and gurdwaras".

The King described how moved he had been to go to the birthplace of Christ in Bethlehem: "It meant more to me than I can possibly express to stand on that spot."

The King's speech continues a tradition going back 90 years, with the first royal Christmas broadcast delivered on the radio in 1932 by George V. The first televised broadcast was presented by Elizabeth II in 1957.

In terms of changes in style, the King delivered his first message standing up, rather than a formal address from behind a desk, and his themes addressed more current social issues.

But there was much that was traditional. This was a Christmas Day message delivered in a chapel with a choir singing, touching on themes of faith, hope and the importance of serving others.

The choir finished, as it had last year for the Queen's last message, singing the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem, with the King highlighting its message of "light overcoming darkness".


Watch: King Charles's first Christmas Day message


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×