King Charles highlighted the importance of unity in diversity in his annual Christmas Day message on Thursday, as wars and tensions put communities around the world under strain.
“With the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong,” Charles, 77, said in his broadcast since becoming monarch.
“As I meet people of different faiths, I find it enormously encouraging to hear how much we have in common, a shared longing for peace and a deep respect for all life.”
Charles spoke of “journeying” and the importance of showing kindness to people on the move – themes that resonate at a time of intense public concern over migration around the world.
His message came at the end of a year marked by tensions in the royal family.
In his Christmas Day broadcast – a tradition dating back to 1932 – Charles praised military veterans and aid workers for their courage in adversity, saying they gave him hope.
In an address rich in references to the Biblical Christmas story, he also recalled his state visit to the Vatican in October, where he and Pope Leo prayed together in the first joint worship by a British monarch and a Catholic pontiff since England broke away from Rome in 1534. The British monarch is supreme governor of the Church of England.
Nearly two years after revealing an unspecified cancer diagnosis, Charles said this month that his treatment could be scaled back in the new year.
His daughter-in-law, Kate, Princess of Wales, announced in January that she was in remission after completing chemotherapy the previous September – rare disclosures for a family that traditionally guards its privacy.
Health was not the only challenge for the monarchy.
Charles stripped his younger brother Andrew of his titles as Duke of York and prince after renewed scrutiny of his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But the year also brought a rare moment of reconciliation when Charles’ younger son, Prince Harry, met his father for tea in September, their first meeting in just under two years.
Harry, who is based in the US later said he hoped for healing, calling life “precious” and acknowledging limited time to mend ties.
