The King used his Christmas message to give "heartfelt thanks" to "selfless" doctors and nurses who provided "strength, care and comfort" to him and the Princess of Wales during their cancer treatments. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:30["Pomp and Circumstance"]
01:01["Pomp and Circumstance"]
01:09Earlier this year, as we commemorated
01:12the 80th anniversary of D-Day,
01:15the Queen and I had the enormous privilege
01:18of meeting once again the remarkable veterans
01:22of that very special generation
01:24who gave of themselves so courageously
01:27on behalf of us all.
01:30Listening to these once young servicemen and women
01:34touched us deeply
01:36as they spoke of their comrades
01:39drawn from across the Commonwealth
01:42who never returned
01:44and who now rest peacefully
01:46where they made the ultimate sacrifice.
01:49Their example of service and selflessness
01:52continues to inspire across the generations.
01:57During previous commemorations,
01:59we were able to console ourselves
02:02with the thought that these tragic events
02:05seldom happen in the modern era.
02:07But on this Christmas Day,
02:10we cannot help but think
02:12of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict
02:16in the Middle East, in Central Europe,
02:19in Africa, and elsewhere
02:22pose a daily threat
02:24to so many people's lives and livelihoods.
02:27We also think of the humanitarian organisations
02:31working tirelessly to bring vital relief.
02:35After all, the Gospels speak so vividly of conflict
02:41and teach the values with which we can overcome it.
02:45The example that Jesus gave us is timeless and universal.
02:50It is to enter the world of those who suffer,
02:55to make a difference to their lives
02:58and so bring hope where there is despair.
03:03As the famous Christmas carol
03:06Once in Royal David's City reminds us,
03:09Our Saviour Holy came down to earth from heaven,
03:14lived among the poor and mean and lowly,
03:18and transformed the lives of those he met
03:21through God's redeeming love.
03:24That is the heart of the Nativity story,
03:28and we can hear its beat in the belief of all the great faiths
03:33in the love and mercy of God in times of joy and of suffering,
03:39calling us to bring light where there is darkness.
03:45All of us go through some form of suffering
03:49at some stage in our life,
03:51be it mental or physical.
03:54The degree to which we help one another
03:57and draw support from each other,
04:00be we people of faith or of none,
04:03is a measure of our civilisation as nations.
04:08This is what continually impresses me
04:11as my family and I meet with and listen to
04:15those who dedicate their lives to helping others.
04:20I am speaking to you today from the chapel
04:23of the former Middlesex Hospital in London,
04:26now itself a vibrant community space,
04:30and thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals
04:36and volunteers here in the United Kingdom
04:39and across the Commonwealth
04:41who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart,
04:46care for others, often at some cost to themselves.
04:51From a personal point of view,
04:54I offer special heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses
04:59who this year have supported me and other members of my family
05:04through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness
05:08and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed.
05:15I am deeply grateful, too,
05:17to all those who have offered us their own kind words
05:21of sympathy and encouragement.
05:25On our recent visit to the South Pacific
05:28to attend the Commonwealth Summit,
05:30I was reminded constantly of the strength
05:34which institutions as well as individuals
05:37can draw from one another
05:39and of how diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith
05:44provide strength, not weakness.
05:48Across the Commonwealth, we are held together
05:51by a willingness to listen to each other,
05:54to learn from one another
05:56and to find just how much we have in common.
06:01Because through listening, we learn to respect our differences,
06:07to defeat prejudice and to open up new possibilities.
06:12I felt a deep sense of pride here in the United Kingdom
06:16when, in response to anger and lawlessness
06:20in several towns this summer, communities came together
06:25not to repeat these behaviours but to repair,
06:30to repair not just buildings but relationships
06:35and, most importantly, to repair trust
06:39by listening and, through understanding,
06:43deciding how to act for the good of all.
06:47Again, listening is a recurrent theme of the Nativity story.
06:53Mary, the mother of Jesus, listened to the angel
06:57who revealed to her a different future
07:00full of hope for all people.
07:04The message of the angels to the shepherds,
07:07that there should be peace on earth,
07:10in fact echoes through all faiths and philosophies.
07:16It rings true to this day
07:18for people of goodwill across the world.
07:22And so it is, with this in mind,
07:25that I wish you and all those you love
07:29a most joyful and peaceful Christmas.
07:35Once in royal David's city
07:42Stood a lowly cattle shed
07:49Where a mother laid her baby
07:56In a manger for his bed
08:03Mary was that mother mild
08:10Jesus Christ her little child
08:19He came down to earth from heaven
08:26Who is Lord and God of all
08:33And his shelter was a stable
08:39And his cradle was a stall
08:46With the poor and weak and lonely
08:53With God our Savior holy
09:01And our eyes at last shall see him
09:08Through his own redeeming blood
09:15For that child so dear and gentle
09:22Is our Lord in heaven above
09:29And he leads his children on
09:36To the place where he is gone
09:44Not in hell, O lowly stable
09:50With the altars standing by
09:57We shall see him, God in heaven
10:03Set at God's right hand on high
10:10Where life's lofty children crown
10:17Holy ones shall wait around