King Charles chooses former hospital chapel for annual Christmas message in break from tradition

The King has poignantly chosen a former hospital chapel to deliver his annual Christmas broadcast.

The message was recorded by Sky News at the Fitzrovia Chapel in central London, after the King personally requested a different location, outside the royal estate.

The venue is a tiny building, originally for staff and patients of the now-demolished Middlesex Hospital.

It is clear he wants to make a statement with this year's address.

The King is expected to focus on the efforts of healthcare workers following his cancer diagnosis and praise community cohesion in the wake of riots following the Southport stabbings.

Royal sources say his wish list for the setting included a connection with health, a space used by the whole community, and a venue with "spiritual solace." He also hoped there would be a royal link.

At the end of a year of change and challenge, it's no surprise the King wanted to do things differently.

A royal source said the King was presented with options but "immediately selected" the chapel and was "bowled over by its beauty".

The hospital connection was deliberate they said, with health a "dominant theme for the family in all kinds of different ways".

The King is still receiving regular treatment for his cancer and will continue to do so in the new year. His diagnosis came just weeks before the Princess of Wales announced she too had cancer.

The royal Christmas broadcast was first made in 1932 by George V, who recorded it from Sandringham House in Norfolk.

Most messages have been recorded from a location within the royal estate.

But this isn't the first time a monarch has rejected a royal residence.

The late Queen recorded three of her broadcasts from different venues. In 1989, she spoke from the Royal Albert Hall, in front of two thousand children. In 2003, the location was Combermere Barracks in Windsor in tribute to the armed forces involved with the Second Gulf War. Three years later in 2006, she filmed her message inside Southwark Cathedral in London.

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'Calm reflection'

The Christmas message is a personal reflection from the monarch, and 2024 has been a tumultuous time for the royal family.

The royal author, Victoria Murphy said, "There was a sense that maybe this could be quite a stabilising year for the royal family…actually it was anything but."

As much as possible, the King has been keen to keep going, although tweaks have been made to allow for his condition.

The Fitzrovia Chapel is no longer used for religious ceremonies but is a popular venue for weddings and exhibitions.

There is a royal connection too, with the former hospital's foundation stone laid by George VI, the King's grandfather.

The chapel is now a charity, and its Chair of Trustees, Carla Waylen said they were thrilled to host the broadcast, "I assume this space being one of calm reflection but also thinking about health, about care and about the medical profession would make it a pretty apt choice."

The choice of setting, made by the King himself is without doubt apt and significant. It is an unexpected backdrop at the end of his unpredictable year.

(c) Sky News 2024: King Charles chooses former hospital chapel for annual Christmas message in break from trad