United Kingdom: in his first Christmas message, King Charles praises "solidarity"
A family watches Britain's King Charles III deliver his first annual Christmas Day message, on television, December 25, 2022. King Charles III hailed 'sincere solidarity' in the UK struggling with a worsening crisis of the cost of living, in his first Christmas Day post as monarch.
AFP - PAUL ELLIS
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The first Christmas speech of King Charles III was broadcast today on the BBC, a speech which aims to be unifying, which does not make waves, but with some significant omissions.
Publicity
Read more
With our correspondent in London
,
Marie Boëda
God Save the King resounds in the grounds of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
The new king, dressed in a blue suit, pays tribute to his mother, who died on September 8.
“
I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown to all of our family
,” he said, stressing how emotional Christmas is for “
all those who have lost loved ones
”.
Charles III
assumes his role as head of the Church of England by focusing his speech on faith and addresses all religions at the same time.
After speaking about this period of great anxiety related to conflicts and natural disasters around the world, he has a word for those who cannot pay their bills due to the cost of living crisis in the country.
“I especially want to pay tribute to all those wonderfully kind people who so generously
” donate “
food
”, “
money
”, or their
so “
precious ” “
time
” , he said, in these times “
of great concern and of trials
”.
Meaningful omissions
Then, the king evokes the devotion of the workers of the public sector.
“
We see it in our health and social care professionals, our teachers.
In public service, whose skills and commitment are at the heart of our communities
,” he said.
These are professions where there are currently many strikers in the country.
Pictures then show Kate and William, the heir to the crown, Anne and Edward, the king's sister and brother.
But the sovereign will not say anything about Andrew, the younger brother of Charles, who has been sidelined from the family since he was
accused of rape in the Epstein case
.
Nothing either about the couple Harry and
Meghan
, who left for the United States almost three years ago, who have since regularly criticized the royal family.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
UK
Charles III