King Charles III made “the journey” the central theme of his 2025 Christmas broadcast, connecting the Christmas story’s journeys and pilgrimage with companionship, kindness and learning from the past. He delivered the address from Westminster Abbey, a setting that underscored the theme. The annual royal broadcast began with George V in 1932 and has changed with the times—from radio to television and, since 1960, advance recording for audiences around the world.
What did King Charles say in his 2025 Christmas speech?
The Royal Family’s official video description says Charles reflected on “the theme of the journey, in religious life and more broadly.” He connected that idea to the journeys in the Christmas story: the Holy Family’s journey to Bethlehem, the Wise Men’s pilgrimage and the shepherds’ search for Jesus. In the description’s excerpt, he emphasizes that each journey was made with others and depended on their companionship and kindness. Royal Family official video
The Associated Press reported that pilgrimage served as the address’s organizing theme. Charles described it as a way to look both forward and back: “This is about journeying forward into the future, while also journeying back to remember the past and learn from its lessons.” He also called for kindness, forgiveness, respect and new friendships. Associated Press report
Companionship, forgiveness and respect
In a passage reported by AP, Charles said that in uncertain times, values shared across faiths can offer hope and resilience. He named peace through forgiveness, getting to know neighbors, showing respect and creating new friendships. A Ukrainian choir sang a Christmas carol at the end of the broadcast, according to AP.
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Remembering wartime service
AP also reported that the King recalled events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. He urged remembrance of veterans’ courage and sacrifice, and of the way communities came together. The report says he presented those values as part of what shapes Britain and the Commonwealth; this is a summary of AP’s coverage, not a complete official transcript.
Why Westminster Abbey suited the theme
Charles delivered the 2025 address from Westminster Abbey, the setting reported by AP. The historic place of worship reinforced a speech centered on pilgrimage and religious journeying. The official video description and AP coverage together establish the theme and setting, but do not amount to a complete transcript of the address.
When did the royal Christmas broadcast begin?
The Royal Family dates the first royal Christmas broadcast to 25 December 1932, when King George V spoke by radio. BBC director-general Sir John Reith proposed the broadcast to inaugurate the BBC Empire Service, now the BBC World Service, and Rudyard Kipling wrote the speech. The Royal Family’s history gives the first audience as 20 million, without specifying a separate measurement method. Kipling’s opening line was: “I speak now from my home and from my heart to you all.” The Royal Family’s history of the Christmas broadcast
From radio to television
George V broadcast each Christmas after 1932 until his death in 1936. Edward VIII did not deliver a Christmas message. George VI made his first in 1937; broadcasts did not take place in 1936 or 1938. His 1939 wartime broadcast helped establish the message as a recurring tradition.
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Elizabeth II gave her first Christmas broadcast in 1952. Her first televised message was broadcast live in 1957. From 1960, broadcasts were recorded in advance so tapes could be sent around the world and aired at convenient local times. The Royal Family says 1969 was the only year Elizabeth did not broadcast: a repeat of the documentary Royal Family had already been scheduled, and she issued a written reassurance that the broadcast would return.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where Charles’s broadcasts fit in the tradition
Charles’s first Christmas broadcast as monarch was recorded in December 2022, three months after Elizabeth II’s death and his accession. The Royal Family describes that message as addressing grief, service to others and shared humanity. The Royal Family’s account of Charles’s first broadcast
The tradition has therefore adapted in both medium and circumstance while remaining a personal seasonal message from the monarch. The historical account documents changes in location and technology, as well as breaks in the broadcast schedule; the 2025 address used the journey as a way to connect Christmas, shared values and public remembrance.
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