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Buckingham Palace clarify last-minute change to King Charles' first Christmas speech

The King is expected to pay tribute to the late Queen in his Christmas address

king charles the queen christmas speech
Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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King Charles III is set to make his historic Christmas Day speech, in which he will honour the late Queen Elizabeth II, on Sunday.

The festive message, which was recorded on 13 December, breaks from tradition as the address was filmed at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

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However, when filming took place it was reported that the BBC was called in to record the speech after ITV was allegedly axed. A Buckingham Palace spokesman has since confirmed the decision was taken as the BBC had "experience of shooting in St George's Chapel this year".

The Queen's Christmas speeches have usually been filmed at Buckingham Palace, but in past years have also been recorded in Windsor Castle and Sandringham House, Norfolk.

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The King's Christmas message was recorded in the quire of St George's Chapel, where the royal family sat during the Queen's committal service, and during the broadcast the choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor performs the National Anthem and sings a carol.

king charles first christmas speech© Photo: Alamy

King Charles will make his first Christmas address on Sunday

In the background is a large Christmas tree decorated with ornaments made from sustainable materials including paper and glass as well as natural products like pine cones.

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The choice of Windsor Castle seems to be a fitting choice for His Majesty. The late monarch's committal service was held at the place of worship and she was laid to rest in the George VI Memorial Chapel, within St George's, with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh.

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The place has also witnessed many happy family moments too, including the weddings of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018 and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in October 2018.

HELLO's Royal Editor, Emily Nash, states: "The King's first Christmas message will be very poignant and he will pay a warm tribute to his late mother Queen Elizabeth, so it's very touching that he has chosen to record it inside St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, which is her final resting place.

"The sustainable tree decorations are another very personal touch that show how he is doing things in his own way."

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