King Charles will address the nation for the third time as monarch on Christmas Day, where he is expected to speak about the health battles experienced by his family.

King Charles has pre-recorded his Christmas speech at a special location (Image: PA)

King Charles’sChristmas message will be one of unity and hope as he delivers his annual address to the nation from a former hospital chapel following his ongoing cancer battle.

Charles, 76, ditched tradition and decided that instead of filming his traditional Christmas message at a royal estate, he would record the broadcast from the breathtaking Fitzrovia Chapel in London, a former chapel of the now-demolished Middlesex Hospital.

The Grade II-listed chapel served as a place of solace for patients, medical staff, and the public for more than 100 years and reinforces the theme of health within the broadcast.

The King will focus his annual address on the efforts of healthcare workers and hail community cohesion in the wake of riots after the Southport stabbings.

His self-penned message will also reflect on an extraordinary year which saw him and his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales diagnosed with cancer in quick succession.

The gold ceiling and mosaics in the Fitzrovia Chapel (Image: Alamy Stock Photo)

Charles will continue his treatment into the new year but Palace officials are optimistic his prognosis is heading in a “very positive direction” – with a full schedule of engagements and overseas trips planned for 2025.

Kate, 42, has completed her course of chemotherapy and is expected to continue her gradual return to royal duties in the New Year.

Buckingham Palace released two stills from the King’s Christmas message, which was recorded at the chapel on December 11 and will be broadcast as usual at 3pm on Christmas Day.

Against the beautiful backdrop of Fitzrovia Chapel, Charles beams at the camera as he stands in front of a living Christmas tree decorated with sustainable decorations including pinecones, metal bells, twisted glass and glass baubles.

He’s wearing a dark suit, a crisp white shirt, a bright blue patterned tie and a pink pocket square.

The tree, which will be replanted in the New Year, has since been donated to Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham, where the Queen has been patron since 2006.

King Charles stands in front of a living Christmas tree that will be replanted in the New Year (Image: Getty Images)

It is understood that Charles was keen to film his third Christmas message at an external location, rather than at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle in a bid to give it a more modern feel.

The King had four criteria for the venue of his Christmas message: it needed to be a community space, have a health connection, be a place of spiritual solace and reflection and have a royal connection. The Fitrovia Chapel ticked all boxes.

Charles’s grandfather, George VI, laid the foundation stone when the hospital was rebuilt in 1928. He returned to open the completed building on May 29, 1935. The hospital closed in 2005 and was redeveloped into apartments, restaurants and an office space.

The Fitzrovia Chapel, nestled in a quiet corner of London’s West End, has Byzantine-inspired architecture and is richly decorated in a Gothic revival style with more than 40 types of marble and more than 500 stars in the gold leaf ceiling.

The first service was held in the chapel on Christmas Day, 1891, and it quickly became a meeting point for groups of all faiths within the hospital community and a wedding venue for both medical staff and patients.

The chapel remains a place of worship today and is also available for weddings and civil partnerships, community events, concerts, fashion shows and exhibitions.

In addition to providing an obvious link to health services, the building also reflects the King’s ambition to defend all faiths, backgrounds, and beliefs.

It marks the first time in 14 years that the monarch’s Christmas broadcast has not been filmed on a royal estate.

The Fitzrovia Chapel features 40 types of marble (Image: Alamy Stock Photo)

The late Queen Elizabeth filmed her 2010 Christmas speech at Hampton Court Palace, and before that in 2006 at Southwark Cathedral and at Combermere Barracks in Windsor three years earlier.

The King’s previous Christmas messages have been filmed at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle and at Buckingham Palace.
His late mother typically favoured filming her messages at either Windsor Castle, or Buckingham Palace of Sandringham.

The monarch’s Christmas message has been a key fixture in the royal diary since King George V broadcast the first televised address live in 1932.

That first speech was scripted by Rudyard Kipling, who lay in state in the Fitzrovia Chapel before his funeral in Westminster Abbey

A long-term environmental campaigner, the King usually focuses part of his message on climate issues and has chosen to stand in front of a replantable tree for the second year in a row.

Fitzrovia Chapel is a central London church (Image: Getty)

Living trees still have their roots attached and are traditionally held in pots before being returned to the ground once the festive season is over.

The King and Queen are currently preparing to welcome some 45 guests for Christmas at the Sandringham Estate this year.

The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children will be among those enjoying the traditional festivities in Norfolk, while Prince Andrew will be celebrating with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson at Royal Lodge, the home they share on the Windsor estate.

On Christmas morning, members of the Royal Family will greet wellwishers as they walk to St Mary Magdalene Church before heading back for a traditional turkey lunch.