King Charles Making Big Symbolic Change in His Annual Christmas Message

King Charles is breaking yet another British royal family Christmas tradition. After moving the pre-Christmas lunch from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace, the 76-year-old monarch has reportedly chosen to deliver his traditional Christmas message from a former hospital chapel, marking the first time in more than a decade that the message hasn’t been delivered from a palace or estate.

The King has reportedly chosen the Fitzrovia Chapel in central London for this year’s Christmas Day broadcast, which was recorded earlier this month and will be broadcast on the BBC and ITV Christmas Day, the BBC reported. The decision marks a break in royal tradition, as the Christmas Day speech, which dates back to 1932 when George V addressed the nation, is typically delivered by the monarch in a royal palace or estate. The speech has not been filmed outside of a royal location since 2010, when Queen Elizabeth, who took over the tradition in 1957, delivered her Christmas Day address from Hampton Court Palace. In 2006, the message was delivered at Southwark Cathedral, and in 2003, it was recorded at an army barracks in Windsor.

Formerly serving as the chapel of the Middlesex Hospital, the Fitzrovia Chapel is now used for exhibitions and community events. Charles is said to have chosen the location out of a desire to deliver the annual address from a location with a healthcare connection.

The past year has been especially difficult for the royal family as both Charles and his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton have battled cancer. After he was first hospitalized for a planned operation for an enlarged prostate in January 2024, Buckingham Palace announced in a Feb. 5 update that the King was diagnosed with “a form of cancer” and “commenced a schedule of regular treatments.” The type of cancer has yet to be disclosed, and in a recent update, a palace source said His Majesty’s “treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year.”

The Princess of Wales, meanwhile, announced her cancer diagnosis in March after she was hospitalized for a “planned abdominal surgery” in January. In September, she announced that she’d completed chemotherapy and was “cancer free.”

Both Charles and Kate have returned to public-facing duties amid their health battles. The pair are expected to join other members of the British royal family at Sandringham, where the family has celebrated the holiday for generations.