King Charles thanked the doctors who cared for him and his daughter-in-law Kate after they both underwent cancer treatment this year, in a Christmas Day message that touched on global conflicts and summer unrest in Great Britain. Brittany.
In his third Christmas television broadcast since becoming king, Charles adopted an unusually personal tone for the royal seasonal message, a tradition that dates back to a radio address by George V in 1932.
The year has been traumatic for the royals after Buckingham Palace said in February that the 76-year-old had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer detected in tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.
A month later, Kate, the wife of her son and heir, Prince William, said she was receiving preventive cancer chemotherapy that concluded in September. William has said the year has been brutal for the family.
“We all go through some kind 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.
Her words were accompanied by images of a visit she made to a cancer treatment center upon returning to public duties in April and of one of Kate’s first engagements when she resumed work.
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“From a personal point of view, I wholeheartedly thank the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of the disease, and have helped provide us with the strength, care and comfort we need. I have needed,” said Charles.
“I am deeply grateful also to all those who have offered us their kind words of sympathy and encouragement,” he said in the pre-recorded broadcast that was filmed in an ornate chapel of a former London hospital.
Last week, a palace source said the king’s treatment was progressing well and would continue next year.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charles joined his family, including Kate, William and their children, for a traditional church service at his Sandringham estate in eastern England.
Charles’ brother Prince Andrew, who became embroiled in another scandal this month when a close business partner was expelled from Britain over government suspicions that he was a Chinese agent, was notably absent from the royal meeting.
DIVERSITY A STRENGTH
The king spoke of nationwide riots, which broke out after the July murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed event in northern England, and which mainly targeted mosques and immigrants.
“The diversity of cultures, ethnicities and faiths provides strength, not weakness,” he said.
“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the UK when, in response to anger and anarchy in several cities this summer, communities came together not to repeat these behaviours, but to repair – not just to repair buildings, but also relationships,” he said. saying.
Charles also made reference to the ongoing wars.
“On 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 represent a daily threat to the lives and livelihoods of so many people,” said.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Barbara Lewis)
