King Charles' special nod to Princess Kate in Christmas speech with modern twist
How exciting!King Charles’ annual Christmas speech will reportedly have an exciting new format available this year. And that isn’t the only special aspect that has already been revealed ahead of the big day…
Gathering around the telly to watch the monarch’s reflections on the year, stuffed with pigs in blankets and Brussels sprouts, is a cherished Christmas Day tradition for many families.
But this year, it appears the message could hold a special meaning and a new twist…
King Charles’ Christmas message
This week will see King Charles deliver his fourth Christmas message as monarch.
The first Royal Christmas message was delivered via radio by King Charles’ great-grandfather, King George V, in 1932. It was written by Jungle Book author Rudyard Kipling. The king had declined the idea when it was first put to him ten years earlier, apparently tentative about the new medium of radio.
3pm GMT was chosen as the best time for reaching most of the countries in the British Empire.
25 years later, in 1957, the speech was televised for the first time. This allowed viewers a unique insight into the queen in her own home.
In 1997, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas message became the first to be made available on the internet.
In 2012, to mark Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee, the queen’s Christmas message was also recorded in 3D.
Buckingham Palace reportedly said of the historic update: “We wanted to do something a bit different and special in this Jubilee year, so doing it for the first time in 3D seemed a good thing, technology wise, to do. The Queen absolutely agreed straight away there was no need for convincing at all, she was absolutely ready to embrace something new in this year.”
And it seems the royal Christmas message will make history once again this year, in line with a recent trend.
King’s Christmas message to be available in VR
According to The Sun, King Charles’ Christmas speech will also be available in virtual reality this Christmas.
Meta Quest 3 VR headset viewers will apparently be able to enjoy a unique and immersive viewing experience, watching the speech with the impression that they are sitting either in a luxurious wooden lodge or a full cinema.
Elsewhere, an insider reportedly told the newspaper: “We have a great tradition of embracing new technologies from the very start of the royal Christmas message and are always looking to reach out to new audiences.”
Royal Insider has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment on this story.
King Charles’s gesture to Princess Kate
Meanwhile, another special element of the Christmas broadcast has been revealed.
King Charles appears to make a nod to Princess Kate with the speech, which is filmed at a specific location linked to the Princess of Wales.
For the second year in a row, King Charles has opted to film outside of a royal residence. As per reports, the king will be speaking from the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey in London.
In an image released today, observers can see that Charles will stand against a setting of twinkling Christmas lights.
The lights are emitted by several Christmas trees that have been repurposed after they were staged for Kate’s Together at Christmas carol concert that was filmed earlier this month at Westminster Abbey.
Evidently, a number of the trees used at the service have been repurposed or donated to charities, claim reports.
The organisations include The Passage homelessness organisation and the Oak Cancer Centre in Sutton.
It is understood the monarch asked for a filming location away from a royal residence.
Suggestions were said to have been made by BBC, who produced the broadcast this year, as well as the royal household.
The King’s Christmas Message will air on BBC One, BBC Two and ITV1 at 3pm on Christmas Day.
Read more: How the royal family spends Christmas Eve and the gift tradition they follow
So, will you be watching the King’s Christmas message on Christmas Day? You can let us know by leaving a comment on our Facebook page @RoyalInsider. We want to hear your thoughts!
