As 2024 comes to a close, King Charles III reflected on the past year, which included health struggles for him and his daughter-in-law Princess Kate Middleton.
During his annual Christmas address, which he delivered on Wednesday at Fitzrovia Chapel, Charles, 76, referenced his own cancer diagnosis, which Buckingham Palace announced in February. It came after doctors discovered cancer during a procedure to correct an enlarged prostate.
“I am speaking to you today from the Chapel of the former Middlesex Hospital in London — now itself a vibrant community space — and thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals and volunteers here in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart, care for others, often at some cost to themselves,” he said.
“From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed,” he continued. “I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.”
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Both Charles and Kate, 42, are continuing their treatments as they resume their royal duties. Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis in March and added that she was undergoing chemotherapy. She finished her chemo treatment in September.
Charles emphasized in his speech the importance of helping one another through challenging times.
“All of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life, be it mental or physical,” he added. “The degree to which we help one another — and draw support from each other, be we people of faith or of none — is a measure of our civilization as nations. This is what continually impresses me, as my family and I meet with, and listen to, those who dedicate their lives to helping others.”
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The king presented a different tone during his speech compared to his public appearance on Friday, December 20, when he joked to reporters, “I’m still alive.”
He is expected to continue both his treatment and public-facing duties in 2025, and ABC News confirmed on Friday that his treatment is part of a “managed condition” and he is headed in a “positive direction.”
Charles closed his address by wishing viewers a “joyful and peaceful Christmas.”
“The message of the angels to the shepherds — that there should be peace on Earth — in fact echoes through all faiths and philosophies,” he concluded. “It rings true to this day for people of goodwill across the world.”
