CNN –
Britain’s King Charles paid a heartfelt tribute to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, in his first Christmas broadcast as monarch on Sunday.
In a pre-recorded speech from St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the Queen was laid to rest alongside her husband Prince Philip, the new king expressed his gratitude to members of the public who had shown love and sympathy following she died in september
“I am reminded of the deeply moving letters, cards and messages that so many of you have sent my wife and I and I cannot thank you enough for the love and kindness you have shown our entire family,” he said.
“Christmas is an especially poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every family turn of the season and remember them in every cherished tradition.”
King Charles honored the Queen’s legacy throughout his speech, recalling her belief in the power of “eternal light” and her faith in people to touch the lives of others.
“In the beloved carol ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ we sing how ‘in your dark streets shines eternal light.’ My mother’s belief in the power of that light was an essential part of her faith in God , but also of his faith in people, and I share it with all my heart. It is a belief in the extraordinary capacity of each person to touch, with kindness and compassion, the lives of others and to light up the world that surrounds him”, he said.
“This is the essence of our community and the very foundation of our society.”
Sunday’s message is the first annual UK Christmas Day broadcast that the Queen has not delivered since her first message in 1957. In her final Christmas speech last year, she spoke of “passing the baton” to the next generation.
King Charles also made indirect reference to the war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis, speaking of a time of “anxiety” and “difficulty” as those around the world face conflict, and those at home struggle to pay their bills and “Keep their families fed and warm.”
The king’s speech continues a 90-year-old royal family tradition and comes days after the Bank of England unveiled the first images of the new monarch’s British banknotes.
King Charles’ portrait will appear on £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes. Meanwhile, the rest of the design will remain the same as the current notes featuring the late Queen Elizabeth on the front.
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