CNN
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Britain King Charles He paid a heartfelt tribute to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, in his first Christmas broadcast as royal on Sunday.
Speaking in a pre-recorded speech from St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the Queen is buried alongside her husband, Prince Philip, the new monarch expressed his gratitude to members of the public who have shown love and sympathy in the wake of her death in September.
“I remember the deeply moving letters, cards and messages sent by so many of you my wife and I and I cannot thank you enough for the love and compassion you have shown our entire family,” he said.
“Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. Their absence is felt at every familiar turn of the season and we remember them in every cherished tradition.”
King Charles honored the Queen’s legacy throughout his speech, remembering her belief in the power of “eternal light” and her faith in people to influence the lives of others.
“In the much-loved hymn ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ we sing how ‘in your dark streets the eternal light shines.’ My mother’s belief in the power of that light was an essential part of her belief in God, but also her belief in people—one that I share with all my heart.” It is a belief in the extraordinary ability of each person to touch the lives of others with kindness and compassion and to illuminate the world around them.”
“This is the essence of our society and the foundation of our society.”
Sunday’s message marks the first annual Christmas Day in Britain not sent by the Queen since her first message in 1957. In her final Christmas speech last year, she spoke of “handing the baton” to the next generation.
King Charles also made indirect reference to the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis, speaking of a time of “anxiety” and “hardship” as people around the world faced conflict, those back home struggling to pay their bills and “keep their families fed and warm”.
The King’s Speech continues a royal family tradition dating back 90 years and comes days after that The first images of British banknotes Unveiling of the new king by the Bank of England.
King Charles’s portrait will appear on the £5, £10, £20 and £50 banknotes. Meanwhile, the rest of the design will remain the same, with the current notes featuring the late Queen Elizabeth on the front.
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