>> earlier this year, as we commemorated the 80th anniversary of d—day, the queen and i had the enormous privilege of meeting once again the remarkable veterans of that very special generation who gave of themselves so courageously on behalf of us all, listening to these once young servicemen and women touched us deeply as they spoke of their comrades drawn from across the commonwealth who never returned, and who now rest peacefully where they made the ultimate sacrifice. >> their example of service and selflessness continues to inspire across the generations. dufing inspire across the generations. during previous commemorations, we were able to console ourselves with the thought that these tragic events seldom happenin these tragic events seldom happen in the modern era. but on

this christmas day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict in the middle east, in central europe, in africa and elsewhere pose a daily threat to so many people's lives and livelihoods. we also think of the humanitarian organisations working tirelessly to bring vital relief. after all, the gospels speak so vividly of conflict and teach the values with which we can overcome it. the example that jesus gave us is timeless and universal. it is to enter the world of those who suffer, to make a difference to their lives, and so bring hope. where there is despair. as the famous christmas carol once in

royal david's city reminds us, our saviour holy came down to earth from heaven, lived among the poor and mean and lowly, and transform the lives of those he met through god's redeeming love. that is the heart of the nativity story. and we can hear its beat in the belief of all the great faiths, in the love and mercy of god, in times of joy and mercy of god, in times of joy and of suffering, calling us to bring light where there is darkness. all of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life, be it mental or physical. the degree to which we help one another and draw support from each other, be we people of faith or of none, is a measure of our civilisation as

nations. this is what continually impresses me as my family and i meet with and listen to those who dedicate their lives to helping others. i am speaking to you today from the chapel of the former middlesex hospital in london, now itself a vibrant community space and thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals and volunteers here in the united kingdom and across the commonwealth, who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart, care for others, often at some cost to themselves. from a personal point of view, i offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of

illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed. i am deeply grateful too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement on our recent visit to the south pacific to attend the commonwealth summit, i was reminded constantly of the strength which institutions, as well as individuals, can draw from one another, and of how diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith provide strength, not weakness. across the commonwealth, we are held together by a willingness to listen to each other, to learn from one another, and to find just how much we have in common. because through listening, we learn to respect our

differences, to defeat prejudice, and to open up new possibilities. i felt a deep sense of pride here in the united kingdom when, in response to anger and lawlessness in several towns this summer, communities came together not to repeat these behaviours, but to repair, to repair not just buildings, but relationships, and most importantly, to repair trust by listening and through understanding, deciding how to act for the good of all. again, listening is a recurrent theme of the nativity story. mary, the mother of jesus, listened to the angel who revealed to her a different future, full of hope for all people. the message of the angels to the shepherds that

there should be peace on earth, in fact, echoes through all faiths and philosophies. it fings faiths and philosophies. it rings true to this day for people of goodwill across the world. and so it is with this in mind that i wish you and all those you love, a most joyful and peaceful christmas. once in royal david's city. >> stood. a lowly. cattle. shed. where a mother. laid. her baby in a manger for his bed. mary

was that. mother mild. jesus. christ her. little child. >> he came. down to earth from heaven. >> who is god.7 and. lord of all. and his. shelter. was a stable. and his. shelter. was a stable. and his. shelter. was a stable. and his cradle. among the stowlawn. with the. poor and. we had only dreamed on our the seine. yamal we. ran our eyes at last shall. see him through is

the. redeeming. love. for us. child. so dear. and gentle. is our. hope in heaven above. and he is. children of the. place where. >> he is love. was given only. >> he is love. was given only. >> stay with me all. the send standing by. we shall. see him. as. never. set out for church.

and. on my. well. my soul is. children round. us. shapovalov. >> god save the king. hello. and a very warm festive welcome to merry christmas britain on gb news. >> i'm darren grimes and i'm with you through until 6:00. >> his majesty king charles iii. they're emphasising the importance of community, compassion and service amid a turbulent year for both the king and princess of wales, who had their own health battles this yeah their own health battles this year. now, in a break from tradition, his majesty king charles delivered this year's christmas speech from the fitzrovia chapel, a former hospital in central london. it's

the first time in over a decade it hasn't been recorded at a royal residence, with his majesty the king choosing to focus on community and healthcare. after a year where both he and the princess of wales have been battling treatment for cancer. well, joining me now to discuss this is gb news royal correspondent cameron walker. cameron, thank you very much for your company. how significant is it to be away from a royal residence? the first of his majesty the king's reign, and actually a chapel he's never visited before. >> well, merry christmas, darren. yes. you're right. it's incredibly rare for the monarch to excuse me to deliver his christmas message or her christmas message or her christmas message. outside of a royal residence, the late queen elizabeth the second only did so three times during the course of her reign. and this is the first time that king charles ii decided to do so. it was the

fitzrovia chapel, as his majesty said in his speech there. the former hospital chapel to the middlesex hospital in london, and his speech was wide ranging, very poignant and, of course, very poignant and, of course, very personal to him as well. as you mentioned, the huge theme of both community and indeed health, as you can probably imagine. and i think the health care and the diagnosis of both the king and the princess of wales really shone through here. he paid tribute to the selflessness of the doctors and nurses, providing strength, care and comfort to both him and the princess of wales. of course, over the course of the last year he also offered his heartfelt thanks to the medical team supporting his family through, and i quote, the uncertainties and i quote, the uncertainties and anxieties of illness. but of course, the king and the princess of wales are not the only people in the world going through cancer diagnosis in the year of 2024. and he said that

all of us go through at some point, some sort of suffering at some point in our lives. and when those when he was saying those words, we saw images of the king meeting cancer patients at the macmillan cancer centre in central london. and that was his first engagements that he carried out following his public cancer diagnosis. of course, he's still going through cancer treatments, but that was the first step on his road to carrying out more public duties. his majesty also thanked the pubuc his majesty also thanked the public for all of their words of sympathy and encouragement dunng sympathy and encouragement during this year. of course, it's been a pretty brutal year. in prince william's words. you can see on your screen here for the royal family, in particular him with his father and his wife being diagnosed with cancer. but then he moved on and he spoke of then he moved on and he spoke of the southport incident following the southport incident following the attack, which left three young girls dead. following the taylor swift themed dance class. and he spoke of the anger of communities, but also he talked about the lawlessness that

followed in several towns across the country, referring, of