King to deliver Christmas message from ex hospital chapel in break from royal tradition
23 December 2024, 12:28 | Updated: 23 December 2024, 17:11
King Charles is set to deliver this year's royal Christmas broadcast from a former hospital in a rare break from tradition.
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The message was recorded earlier this month from inside the Fitzrovia Chapel in central London.
The chapel, formerly part of the now demolished Middlesex Hospital, was originally designed for use by staff and patients.
It follows a year of health woes for the royal family, following Kate's cancer fight, as well as the King's ongoing treatment for an as yet undisclosed cancer.
The royal's annual address usually recorded from a location within the royal estate.
However, this year the King has chosen to break with tradition.
In a statement, the Palace noted the living Christmas tree shown in this year’s broadcast will be decorated with sustainable decorations including pinecones, metal bells, twisted glass and glass baubles.
In line with the King's love of nature, the sustainable tree was donated to Croydon BME Forum and Macmillan Cancer Support’s 'Can You C Me?' project after recording was concluded.
The tree was placed in the Royal Trinity Hospice, Clapham, the oldest hospice in the United Kingdom.
It's a charity her Majesty The Queen has been patron since 2006 and most recently visited the hospice to mark its 130th anniversary in 2021.
First recorded by King George V, the original message was recorded from the Sandringham House in Norfolk in 1932.
However, this isn't the first time a monarch has chosen an alternate location to host the broadcast.
Over the course of her reign, the late Queen recorded three of her broadcasts from multiple locations outside the royal estates.
In 1989, the royal delivered a message from the Royal Albert Hall in front of two thousand children.
It was followed by a message in 2003 delivered by Combermere Barracks in Windsor in tribute to the armed forces involved with the Second Gulf War.
In 2006, she also filmed her message inside Southwark Cathedral in London.
The Christmas message is a personal reflection from the monarch, looking back on the past year.
It follows the news King Charles has stripped chocolate giant Cadbury of its Royal Warrant, and it's thought his new health-conscious diet could have spurred the decision
The confectionery brand based in Bourneville, Birmingham, is among 100 companies to lose out on official endorsement from the royal family in a newly-updated list.
Also missing out is consumer goods multinational Unilever, whose products include popular food brands Marmite, Magnum ice cream bars and Pot Noodle.
