King Charles III leads family to church ahead of annual Christmas Day broadcast

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LONDON (AP) — King Charles III led his family to church on foot Thursday, hours before his annual Christmas Day speech to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth was expected to focus on the theme of pilgrimage.

Charles and Queen Camilla, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, and their children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, and extended family walked to St. Mary Magdalene Church on the king's private Sandringham Estate.

The location is about 100 miles north of London, where Charles recorded the address from Westminster Abbey, the landmark known for the lavish coronations and royal weddings it has hosted for more than 1,000 years.

The abbey is also the focus of an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Edward the Confessor, which lies at the heart of the church. Edward, a monk-like monarch, was canonized as a saint in 1161.

The monarch’s annual holiday message is watched by millions of people in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 independent nations, most of which have historic ties to Britain. The prerecorded speech is broadcast at 3 p.m., when many families are enjoying their traditional Christmas lunch.

The speech is one of the rare occasions when Charles, 77, is able to voice his own views and doesn’t seek guidance from the government. It usually has a strong religious framework, reflects current issues and sometimes draws on the monarch’s personal experiences.

This year’s address comes just two weeks after Charles made a deeply personal television appearance in which he said “good news” from his doctors meant that he would be able to reduce his treatment for cancer in the new year.

The king was diagnosed with a still undisclosed form of cancer in early 2024. Buckingham Palace says his treatment is now moving to a “precautionary phase” and his condition will be monitored to ensure his continued recovery.

Charles recorded last year’s speech at Fitzrovia Chapel, which was once part of the now demolished Middlesex Hospital. During that address, he honored care workers around the country and gave a special thanks to the doctors and nurses who supported him after his cancer diagnosis.

This year’s Christmas speech will be the fourth since Charles ascended to the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September 2022.