After a tough year for the royal family, King Charles and Kate Middleton’s health issues were top of mind as the monarch gave his annual Christmas speech on December 25. On Wednesday, Charles departed from 18 years of tradition as he addressed the nation at a former hospital chapel instead of a crown residence–a seeming shout-out to the health care community after he and Kate were diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. Against the poignant backdrop of Fitzrovia Chapel, which was formerly a chapel at the now-closed Middlesex Hospital in London, Charles also broke with royal protocol as he appeared to reference the “uncertainties and anxieties” of the Windsors’ dual cancer battles during the personal speech.
King Charles addressed the surprising filming setting as he began, “I am speaking to you today from the Chapel of the former Middlesex Hospital in London–now itself a vibrant Community space–and thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals and volunteers here in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart, care for others, often at some cost to themselves.”
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Charles, who previously held his address at George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in 2022, and then at Buckingham Palace in 2023, then appeared to reference the royal family’s personal struggle with illness over the past year.
“From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed,” he continued. “I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.”
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His address was filmed a few weeks before the royal family’s annual Christmas Day walk from Sandringham to St. Mary Magdalene church, which saw Kate coordinating with Prince William and their kids. Their highly-anticipated appearance is believed to be their final public outing of the year, coming months after the Princess of Wales revealed that she’d finished chemotherapy treatment in a personal video.
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“As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment,” Kate shared in the video, which included a montage of her, Prince William, and their kids, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte. “The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.”
