Photo: Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty
Gathering around the television forQueen Elizabeth II’s annual broadcast was a part of Christmas celebrations for many families across the U.K. and around the world — and now,King Charles IIIwill take over the tradition.
“This first year, he will feel the pressure to get it right. Every nuance will be picked over,” a former palace staffer tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.
In the speech, King Charles will certainly reflect on the death of his mother.
The King “has huge empathy” for others experiencing loss, says the staffer. “We are so used to seeing the iconic footage of the Queen leading her family to church on Christmas morning,” says the staffer. “This year there will be a great deal of reflection and sorrow.”
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“She was a one-take wonder — she was extraordinary,” says the former palace staffer.
AtKate Middleton’ssecond annual Christmas carol concertat Westminster Abbey held last week,Prince Williamread part of his late grandmother’s 2012Christmas broadcast.
Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Kate Middleton.Getty
Queen Elizabeth’s 2020 Christmas speech.Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty
After the death of King George VI in February 1952, the Queen’s first Christmas message spoke about carrying on the tradition.
“Each Christmas, at this time, my beloved father broadcast a message to his people in all parts of the world … As he used to do, I am speaking to you from my own home, where I am spending Christmas with my family … My father [King George VI], and my grandfather [King George V] before him, worked hard all their lives to unite our peoples ever more closely, and to maintain its ideals which were so near to their hearts. I shall strive to carry on their work,” she said.
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Queen Camilla and King Charles.Getty
After two years of celebrating the holidays separately due to the coronavirus pandemic, the royals will get together for Christmas at Sandringham, where they will exchange gag gifts on Christmas Eve and attend a church service on December 25.
“Charles has always been very, very fond of Sandringham,” says royal biographer Ingrid Seward. “Christmas within any family is always about tradition. He will keep it the same as it ever was.”
source: people.com
