How King Charles will break tradition with his Christmas Speech as Palace reveals first look

The first look at King Charles’ Christmas speech has been shared by Buckingham Palace. Wearing a cobalt blue suit jacket and a blue tie with spots, Charles cuts a solitary figure in the Quire of Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel. While Charles is breaking tradition by eschewing the inclusion of photographs of his family members like the late Queen always did, his choice of location does honor the legacy of his family. St George’s Chapel is where both his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and father, Prince Philip, are buried.

• King Charles will break tradition during his first Christmas speech, choosing not to feature any framed photographs of his family
• Charles’ first speech will pay tribute to his late mother, though, with a poignant choice of location – St George’s Chapel, where she was buried
• In other royal news, King Charles's security urgently reviewed over Christmas Day protest fears

While the royals are famous for following tradition with rigour – from swapping presents on Christmas Eve for over 200 years to being banned from eating certain foods – King Charles is sending a clear message in the first look at his Christmas speech.

Proving that he’s doing things his own way, Charles has broke from tradition in multiple ways.

First, he has chosen to film his first address in St George’s Chapel. The late Queen Elizabeth would always record her Christmas message inside Buckingham Palace. In 2019 and 2020, the Queen did record from Windsor Castle – but only out of necessity, as the coronavirus pandemic meant she and her staff were isolating there.  

Her Majesty would often be filmed in the White Drawing Room, seated at an opulent mahogany desk which included a special selection of framed family photographs surrounding her. This is the other difference in Charles’ first speech.

Dressed in a blue suit featuring a windowpane check, Charles has opted to go it alone. There will be no photographs of any of his family.

While nothing has been made of this, many have interpreted it as Charles’ way of ensuring the message of his address is heard, and the focus isn’t on possible slights or scandal. Specifically regarding his son, Prince Harry, and daughter-in-law, Meghan Markle.

Harry and Meghan have famously hit out at the royals repeatedly since quitting life as working royals in 2020. Whether they were included or whether Charles opted to just have photos of his other son, Prince William and his family, headlines would no doubt have focused on this and not the importance of his first Christmas speech.

It’s already been suggested that the King will make a dignified power move by giving Harry and Meghan a loving mention, despite the recent furore surrounding their Netflix docuseries.

While unveiling the first look, the Palace also included some new details about the speech and setting, and Charles’ well documented passion for environmentalism were front and center.

A press release confirms the Christmas tree was “decorated with ornaments made from sustainable materials… as well as natural products.” Following the recording of the King’s speech, the Christmas tree was re-used by St George’s Chapel in the Dean’s Cloister for visitors to enjoy.