The King has poignantly chosen a former hospital chapel to deliver his annual Christmas broadcast.
The message was recorded earlier this month by Sky News inside the Fitzrovia Chapel in central London.
It is a tiny building, originally for staff and patients of the now-demolished Middlesex Hospital.
At the end of a year of change and challenge it is perhaps no surprise the King wanted to do things differently with his annual address.
The chapel’s links with health are perhaps no coincidence; the King is still receiving regular treatment for his cancer and will continue to do so in the new year.
News of his diagnosis came just weeks before the Princess of Wales announced she too had cancer and would undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy.
The chapel is no longer used for religious ceremonies but is a popular community venue.
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The royal Christmas broadcast has become a yearly tradition, with the first recording made in 1932 by King George V, who recorded it from Sandringham House in Norfolk.
Most messages have been recorded from a location within the royal estate.
But this isn’t the first time a monarch has rejected a royal residence.
The late Queen recorded three of her broadcasts from different venues. In 1989, she spoke from the Royal Albert Hall, in front of two thousand children. In 2003, the location was Combermere Barracks in Windsor in tribute to the armed forces involved with the Second Gulf War. Three years later in 2006, she filmed her message inside Southwark Cathedral in London.
The Christmas message is a personal reflection from the monarch, looking back on the past year.
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It has been a tumultuous time for the royal family. Many had thought 2024 would bring stability after so much significant change and upheaval.
As much as possible, the King has been keen to keep going, although tweaks have been made to allow for his condition.
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The Fitzrovia Chapel, in the heart of central London, is no longer used for religious ceremonies but is a popular community venue.
The choice of a setting with such strong connections to health is without doubt significant. It is an unexpected choice at the end of an unpredictable year.
