King Charles He thanked the doctors who cared for him and her. daughter-in-law Kate, Both were treated for cancer that year, in a Christmas Day message that discussed global conflict and the summer riots in Britain.
In his third Christmas TV broadcast since becoming king, Charles struck an unusually personal tone for the royal weather message, a tradition that dates back to George V's radio speech in 1932.
It has been a painful year for the royal family after Buckingham Palace said in February that the 76-year-old had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in tests following an enlarged prostate.
A month later, Kate, wife of their son and heir Prince William, said she was undergoing cancer-preventive chemotherapy that ended in September. William has said the year has been brutal for the family.
“We all go through some kind of hardship at some stage in our lives, whether it's mental or physical,” said Charles, who will become king in 2022 after Queen Elizabeth's death.
Her words were accompanied by footage of a visit to a cancer treatment center on her return to public duties in April and one of Kate's first engagements when she resumed work.
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“From a personal perspective, I am deeply grateful to the selfless doctors and nurses who have helped me and my family through the uncertainties and worries of illness this year, and who have given us strength, care and support. And the need to help provide comfort,” Charles said.
“I am also deeply grateful to all those who have offered us their kind words of sympathy and encouragement,” he said in a pre-recorded broadcast from an ornate chapel in a former London hospital. I was filmed.
Last week, a palace source said the king's treatment was going well and would continue into next year.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charles was joined by his family, including Kate, William and their children, for a traditional church service at his Sandringham estate in eastern England.
Charles' brother Prince Andrew, who was embroiled in another scandal this month when a close business associate was banned from Britain on government suspicions he was a Chinese agent, was a notable absentee from the royal gathering.
Diversity is a strength
The king spoke about the nationwide riots, which erupted in July after the murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed event in northern England, and targeted mosques and migrants in particular.
“Diversity of culture, race and faith provides strength, not weakness”, he said.
“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the UK when, in response to anger and lawlessness in a number of towns this summer, communities came together not to repeat those behaviors but to repair relationships, not just buildings,” he said. said said.
Charles also referred to ongoing wars.
“On this Christmas day, we cannot help those for whom the devastating effects of conflict in the Middle East, Central Europe, Africa and elsewhere threaten the lives and livelihoods of many people every day,” he said.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Barbara Lewis)