This afternoon at 4pm Dutch time, the new monarch will deliver his first Christmas message as head of state following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Enthusiasts are feeding in advance of the historic event, because it’s only the second time in over sixty years that not a Queen, but a King delivers a Christmas speech on television. Prior to the Queen’s first televised speech in 1957, her predecessor, King George VI, was still giving speeches on the radio. This Christmas tradition, by the way, began in 1932 with King George V, but has evolved over the years and can now be viewed online.

Half the country finds all of this absolutely fascinating. Royalists and enthusiasts the crown Then of course we hope to point to Diana or Harry and Meghan, who are now a Netflix phenomenon. Last year, the Queen paid tribute to her husband, Prince Philip, who passed away in October 2021.

But the other half (49 percent according to a YouGov survey) of Britons surveyed would prefer to skip Charles. Remarkably, 9 percent of those who said they intentionally did not watch watched The Queen last year. Either Charles doesn’t (yet) have the stature of his mother.

Charles’ speech will be only his second speech as king. The first was in September, after the Queen’s death. Although this birthday speech was already a few days ago includedThe head of state always speaks on Christmas Day, usually at 3pm local time, so an hour later with us. Since 1997, the BBC and ITV have taken turns broadcasting the King’s Christmas Speech, while Sky News has been allowed to participate since 2011.

Experts predict that Charles III will revive his mother, who died in September at the age of 96. He’ll think of the celebrations surrounding the anniversary of her going platinum earlier this year. Charles is also likely to consider the special change of prime ministers during the year, which saw Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak respectively at 10 Downing Street. Progress in reducing deaths from the coronavirus and the ongoing war against Russia and Ukraine will also be reviewed. Insiders know that there is a chance of a surprise. Nobody knows yet what it will be.

British historian Jeremy Archer said recently yes! magazine that Charles’ speech would be “earnest and reflective”. The only photo released by Buckingham Palace shows Charles standing in front of a Christmas tree adorned with ornaments made from sustainable materials. Charles makes the last point.

Traditionally, members of the royal family sit together to watch the speech on television when it is broadcast after lunch.

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