On Christmas, King Charles' message on ‘great anxiety’, recession-hit Britain

Christmas 2022 celebrations: Dressed in a blue suit, King Charles III hosted his first traditional Christmas celebration since the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

In his first Christmas message as a monarch, Britain's King Charles III expressed the “heartfelt solidarity” of people across the recession-hit United Kingdom, reflecting on the worsening cost of living crisis. Dressed in a blue suit, the 74-year-old hosted his first traditional Christmas since the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Addressing the country from the Windsor Castle chapel where his mother was interred in September, Charles said, “Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition.”

King Charles III records his first Christmas broadcast in the Quire of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. (AP)

This year's Christmas message was the first in seven decades to not be presented by the Queen, who pioneered the tradition of televised messages in 1957.

The King also made changes to the way the Christmas message used to be delivered – addressing standing up, rather than formally from behind a desk, and his themes revolved more around current social issues of the country.

Charles spoke on the impact of the country's growing economic woes, taking note of the “great anxiety and hardship” for those facing conflict, famine or natural disaster, and those at home struggling “to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm”.

“I particularly want to pay tribute to all those wonderfully kind people who so generously give food or donations, or that most precious commodity of all – their time – to support those around them in greatest need…Our churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and gurudwaras have once again united in feeding the hungry, providing love and support throughout the year,” he said delivering a multi-faith message on the occasion.

“Whatever faith you have or whether you have none, it is in this life-giving light, and with the true humility that lies in our service to others, that I believe we can find hope for the future. Let us therefore celebrate it together, and cherish it always,” the monarch said.

The Christmas broadcast is a long-standing tradition and is aimed at people across the UK and the Commonwealth.