King's Speech 2025: King Charles gives his Christmas address
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00:30["Pomp and Circumstance"]
01:01["Pomp and Circumstance"]
01:09Earlier this year, as we commemorated the 80th anniversary of D-Day,
01:15the Queen and I had the enormous privilege of meeting once again
01:20the remarkable veterans of that very special generation
01:24who gave of themselves so courageously on behalf of us all.
01:30Listening to these once young servicemen and women touched us deeply
01:36as they spoke of their comrades drawn from across the Commonwealth
01:42who never returned and 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, we were able to console ourselves
02:02with the thought that these tragic events seldom happen in the modern era.
02:07But on this Christmas Day, we cannot help but think
02:12of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict
02:16in the Middle East, in Central Europe, in Africa and elsewhere
02:22pose a daily threat to so many people's lives and livelihoods.
02:27We also think of the humanitarian organisations
02:31working tirelessly to bring vital relief.
02:36After 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.
02:51It 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 Once 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 through 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.
03:44All of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life,
03:50be it mental or physical.
03:53The degree to which we help one another and draw support from each other,
03:59be we people of faith or of none,
04:02is a measure of our civilisation as nations.
04:07This is what continually impresses me
04:12as my family and I meet with and listen to
04:16those who dedicate their lives to helping others.
04:20I am speaking to you today from the chapel of the former Middlesex Hospital in London,
04:26now itself a vibrant community space,
04:30and thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals and volunteers
04:37here in the United Kingdom and 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.
05:14I am deeply grateful too to all those who have offered us
05:19their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.
05:24On our recent visit to the South Pacific to attend the Commonwealth Summit,
05:30I was reminded constantly of the strength which institutions,
05:35as well as individuals, can 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 by a willingness to listen to each other,
05:54to learn from one another and 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 in several towns this summer,
06:22communities came together, not to repeat these behaviours,
06:28but to repair, to repair not just buildings, but relationships
06:34and, most importantly, to repair trust
06:39by listening and, through understanding, deciding 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, full of hope for all people.
07:04The message of the angels to the shepherds,
07:08that there should be peace on earth,
07:11in fact echoes through all faiths and philosophies,
07:16it rings true to this day for people of goodwill across the world.
07:22And so it is, with this in mind,
07:26that I wish you and all those you love a most joyful and peaceful Christmas.
07:34Once 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, like me, and lowly
08:53With God above, our Saviour holy
09:01And the wise at last shall see him
09:08Through his own redeeming blood
09:15For that child so dear and gentle
09:22Is a lowly man above
09:29And he leads his children on
09:36To the place where he is bound
09:44Holy man, O lowly saviour
09:50With the altars standing by
09:57We shall see him bound in heaven
10:03Set at God's right hand on high
10:10Where thy souls, ye children, bow
10:17Holy ones, shall wait around