The king’s Christmas message will focus on the efforts of health workers after a year in which Charles and the Princess of Wales were treated for cancer.
Charles will also use his annual address to the nation to praise communities who came together in solidarity following riots following the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport.
The message was recorded in the Fitzrovia Chapel, a former sanctuary of the demolished Middlesex Hospital, where Diana, Princess of Wales, opened London’s first dedicated AIDS ward.
It is understood that the speech will reflect on international, national and personal challenges and how they can be overcome by communities supporting each other.
Carla Whelan, chair of the board of trustees of the Fitzrovia Chapel Foundation, said of the filming location: “I think this place is one of quiet reflection, but also about health, about caring, about the medical profession. Must be thinking. This is a very suitable option.”
In keeping with the king’s desire to go out into the community, the king tasked the team organizing the broadcast with finding a site away from the royal estate. He gave them a set of criteria the building must meet, which included health connections, a strong community presence, and providing a place of solace and reflection to all religions.
They discovered the Grade II* listed building in central London, which has Byzantine-inspired architecture and is richly decorated in the Gothic Revival style, with over 500 stars in the marble and gold leaf ceiling.
Charles picked up the chapel without seeing it and was “absolutely stunned” by its beauty, said one source.
Whelan said of his arrival: “As far as I can tell, he was quite surprised and pleased to come in and discover it. “He was very interested in marble, there are 40 types of marble here and lots of different designs, and he wanted to know about the history of the chapel and some of the people who are commemorated here.”
Charles recorded his message on December 11, marking one of the rare occasions when a building outside royal property has been used, with the late Queen delivering her message at Southwark Cathedral in 2006 and at Combermere Barracks in Windsor three years ago. Had recorded.
Speaking about the king’s criteria for the building, the source said: “Obviously it makes sense that it had some form of health connection, because it certainly touches the family in all kinds of different ways. Has been a major topic for.
“The second and equally important thing is that it should speak to bringing communities together in some way… The third thing is that if it looks beautiful and is a place of spiritual solace and reflection then certainly it should helps.”
The source said the king was “very impressed by what a beautiful place it is and what a special place it is”.
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In February Charles announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer after treatment for an enlarged prostate, and the following month the Princess of Wales revealed that he was undergoing a course of chemotherapy, which had been completed, and publicly There has been partial return to duties.
The King’s ongoing treatment is understood to be going in a positive direction, and after initially postponing all public-facing engagements he returned to engagements in April, embarking on a major Southern Hemisphere tour in October and a tour through Christmas. His diary first came to light, it is similar to his pre-cancer period.
Fitzrovia Chapel, designed by the architect John Loughborough Pearson with work beginning in 1891, is a few minutes’ walk from Oxford Street, Europe’s busiest shopping destination, but offers a tranquil setting and is a popular wedding venue and art exhibition. Is the venue.
It was used by patients, medical staff and people visiting the Middlesex Hospital, which closed in 2006 and had stood on the site since 1755 before being demolished in 2008.
Following the broadcast, the Christmas tree, a live specimen covered in sustainable decorations, was donated to the Croydon BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Forum and Macmillan Cancer Support’s Can You See Me? The project, which seeks to tackle racial disparities in cancer care.
It will be kept at the Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham, south London, of which the Queen is patron.