The King’s 2021 Christmas message will come from the Fitzrovia Chapel in central London, which was once the chapel of the Middlesex Hospital. The building has ties to healthcare, which is important as the King has been receiving cancer treatment this year. The ornately-decorated chapel is also used for exhibitions and community events for people of all faiths.
The Fitzrovia Chapel was renovated and reopened in 2016, and is decorated in a Gothic Revival style with shimmering mosaics and Byzantine influences. The small chapel is located in Pearson Square, which is a quiet corner of London’s West End. It was built in the courtyard of what was the Middlesex Hospital, and when the hospital was demolished the chapel was retained and restored, with a new development built around it.
The King’s Christmas Day speech will be broadcast as usual on television and radio at 15:00. The speech comes at the end of a year in which the King faced a cancer diagnosis, and his regular treatment sessions are continuing. However, plans for a busy schedule for engagements and trips in 2025 suggest a positive response to treatment. Setting the speech in this former hospital chapel will be a reminder of those working in the health services and medical research.
Although the King’s Christmas message is traditionally recorded from a royal palace or estate, this year’s speech breaks with that tradition. Recent exceptions have included locations such as Hampton Court Palace and Southwark Cathedral. The run-up to Christmas has seen the King attending a series of seasonal events, including a Christmas market and a service remembering those persecuted because of their religion. The tradition of the Christmas speech dates back to 1932, when George V made the first broadcast, a speech that was written by Rudyard Kipling and scripted in the Fitzrovia Chapel
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