King praises health workers and calls for unity after riots

King Charles has delivered a personal message of gratitude to health workers who supported him during his cancer treatment in his annual Christmas speech.

In a candid message, he offered his “heartfelt thanks” to the doctors and nurses who helped with the “uncertainties and worries of the disease.”

King also praised efforts to build relationships between different communities amid what he called the “anger and chaos” of the summer riots.

Diversity in ethnicity and faith is “a sign of strength, not weakness”, the king’s message said.

This year’s Christmas broadcast was Given at Fitzrovia Chapel in LondonIt was the first time a venue outside a royal residence had been used for more than a decade.

It was the former chapel of Middlesex Hospital, reflecting the theme of paying tribute to those who work in health services.

“We all go through some kind of suffering at some stage in our lives, be it mental or physical,” King said, but “the measure of our civilization” is how we support people in such moments. goes.

The king’s message, recorded earlier this month, expressed gratitude to “selfless” medical professionals and volunteers who used their skills “to care for others – often at some cost to themselves”.

He praised the help of the Princess of Wales and the rest of his family Receiving a cancer diagnosis this year,

And after his own cancer diagnosis was revealed in February, he thanked the public for their kind words and messages.

The broadcast showed him meeting cancer patients during a visit to University College London Hospital upon his return to public appearances in April.

King’s treatment will continue until 2025, but in a positive sign of progress, he is planning a busy schedule of tours and overseas visits next year.

Another major theme of the speech was the focus on community cohesion.

The king praised the efforts of those who sought to build bridges between the communities after summer riotswhich was followed Knife attack in Southport,

“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the United Kingdom when, in response to the anger and chaos in many cities this summer, communities came together not to repeat these behaviors, but to repair not just buildings, but relationships. “For repairs,” said the king.

“Diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith provides strength, not weakness,” King said. He praised efforts to “respect our differences, defeat prejudice.”

The King’s words echo a Christmas message delivered by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, in 2004, when she addressed community tensions, saying “diversity is actually a strength, not a threat”.

In a speech on Commonwealth Day earlier this year, the King also emphasized the same message that “diversity is our greatest strength”.

The Christmas broadcast included photos of Prince William and Catherine thanking emergency workers who responded to the Southport knife attack, which also included a meeting with bereaved families.

The speech was accompanied by a community choir singing the carol Once in Royal David’s City. And a Christmas tree seen in the broadcast has since been donated to a hospice in Clapham.

There were words of sympathy from the king for those at risk in wars around the world, with conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

King praised “remarkable stalwarts of that particular generation”, remembering them Commemoration of 80th Anniversary of D-Day Landing,

The broadcast followed the tradition of showing working royals, so no Prince Harry or Prince Andrew were seen.

King Charles is spending Christmas Day at Sandringham, Norfolk.

A crowd gathered early in the morning to see him go Church service with your familyWhich includes Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales.