King Charles to give traditional Christmas speech from hospital chapel due to cancer treatment

King Charles III will make his annual Christmas speech from a former hospital chapel, in a break from tradition as the British monarch undergoes cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace said Monday.

The address comes at the end of a year in which the royal family faced multiple medical setbacks, starting with Charles, 76, being diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in February. 

The speech, which was pre-recorded at the Fitzrovia Chapel in central London, will be the first time the address to the nation is made from outside a royal residence since 2006.

The Byzantine-inspired chapel used to be part of Middlesex Hospital and has served as "a place of solace, prayer and rest for staff and patients" for nearly a 100 years, according to a Buckingham Palace statement. 

Although the king has slowly returned to public duties, he is still undergoing cancer treatment, which is expected to continue into 2025.

His daughter-in-law Princess Catherine was also diagnosed with cancer this year, and announced in September she had completed chemotherapy.

The last time the annual broadcast was made outside a royal residence was in 2006, when Charles' mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II made her speech from Southwark Cathedral. 

Charles evoked environmentalism and called for world peace in his 2023 Christmas address from Buckingham Palace. 

This year's message was recorded earlier in December from the ornate Grade II listed chapel which boasts over 500 stars in its gold-leaf ceiling and some 40 different types of marble.

The king's speech will be broadcast by Sky News at 1500 GMT on Christmas Day.

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