So what did you think of the King’s first Christmas speech?

[asblindasabat]

I felt it was very nice and quite touching. The location he chose to record it at was very fitting and it is lovely he paid tribute to his late mother, our lovely late Queen.

Shit.
Like his predecessor.

Oh I am sure you would have done much better .

Near perfect. Much more relatable than usual. Well done, King.

I loved it tbh. Always found the Queens speeches dull. I felt like Charles used his platform to shine a light on the state of the Country in a way the press doesn't. Thanking the public sector and volunteers, showing the food being given away to working families who can't afford heating. I felt like he was saying (amid division spun by the right wing press around strikes) that communities need to stick together and look after eachother. With all the video clips it seemed to me he was making sure people saw the real UK after 12 yrs of Tory leadership.

Just listened to it now and feel it was spot on

Liked the fact that the public sector mentioned social care and specifically showed a carer with an older person.

I thought it was very relatable, lots about the hard work public services and volunteers put in

I thought it was a lovely speech.

Bland. I preferred the songs at the start and finish but I was quite pissed!

I saw Prince Edward in the VT but not Anne, who is meant to be the hardest working royal !
I thought it was short (good) but lacked the content that the Queen had.

I was really touched at the tribute to public sector workers. I thought he did well.

I thought royals were not meant to be political? this definitely had a slant.

Camilla, W&K and Anne and Edward, all got cameos. I thought his Christmas speech was absolutely pitch perfect so he’s definitely passed his probation for me.
And presumably as a decent human being after 12 years of the Tories running this country corruptly he’s as disgusted and angry as the rest of us that ordinary people (whether or not they have work) are literally starving, were it not for foodbanks charitably provided by donations from other kind people and businesses.
And presumably he is well aware of the fact that millions of people watching his message would have been freezing cold in their homes with very few options of any warm place to go on Christmas Day.

He didn’t critique the government or be political in any way, he carefully kept to protocol so pps are talking nonsense. But the reality of modern Tory Britain is shameful and to me, it speaks very well of him that he’s going to reflect some of that painful reality as it is. Of course he is right to try to thank the solidarity from individuals and the public services that are doing their best to help in incredibly challenging circumstances and with the cost of living crisis affecting so many of those people who are working and are donating and are volunteering to help others. Of course he should recognise the increasingly essential roles that religious groups and community groups of all kinds play in communities. If that’s an indictment of this absolutely shitshow of a succession of Tory governments since 2010, then that’s on them.

I’m still wanting to know how King Charles will deal with Andrew’s allegations of terrible crimes and how he will reconnect with Harry and Meghan and generally how he’ll handle his first full year as King, but I think that he did really well in this first Message.

Good points, @Cactuslove .
I liked the way he gave credit to public sector workers and volunteers at food banks etc who support others.
I liked the metaphor of a light shining, and service with kindness.
The reference to the late Queen was appropriate and not mawkish.

There's something obscene about a man, with multiple large residences, masses of land ownership, who profits from legally sanctioned inequality and exploitation of feudal subjects, lecturing us about public service and glorifying food banks. It makes my stomach heave.

@Paq absolutely 🤬.

@DowningStreetParty what makes you think he’s a decent human being? His behaviour in public has never suggested he’s any different from the vile men and women of the Tory party.

There was a lot of pressure on him ( big shoes to fill etc) but I actually thought he did very well. I felt quite emotional & missed The Queen though.

And couldn't we imagine all the haters piling on here if King Charles was even remotely upbeat and cheerful. Damned if he does, and all that.

his speech was apposite and compassionate, picking up on the issues of the day, recognising the people who run this country the essential services (Military, emergency services, carers and medics, teaching staff) - he's using his influential role to indirectly shame his government into focussing on those who really deserve our support. And the food banks, the travesty that even people in work have to feed their family through those.

people would rather automatically leap to slag off the RF rather than taking a step back and seeing the good they can do.

I enjoyed it and loved how much his 'never vote Tory again' message riled the oldies in the room. Very satisfying.

@daisychain01 using his influence in that way is even worse than his smug pontificating on public service. He's not elected and has no mandate. It's anti democratic. And don't tell me that the royal family has popular support, anyone would if they were treated so favourably by mainstream media. Fawning pictures of photogenic women and children plastered everywhere.

This is why I've hidden the RF topic!

I liked it a lot. I think he’ll be a good king. I didn’t like his suit and tie combo though but maybe that’s just me.
I thought him wise to stand rather than the desk and photo thing which gets the press excited. Good idea to dodge that!

As you're a dyed in the wool anti- monarchist, then it makes perfect sense that you hide the Royal Family topic 👍

I thoroughly approved! The political nightmares on both sides of the Atlantic in the last few years have squashed any anti-royalist sentiment I had, because I appreciated that we still had a head of state with some dignity. Support for the (now striking) public sector and the roles of volunteers supporting some very desperate sections of the population was very welcome.

Same here. Whether we like the individual family members or not, it’s true that the monarchy is an integral part of public life in the UK and is symbolically intertwined in how our democracy and lawmaking take place here. And the royals are symbols of the UK at home and abroad. And there’s no question that the interest in them benefits the UK economy.

So I am happy that the current royals and the late Queen seem to feel that they have a role to play in symbolising a working life that is all about their version of public service. That is particularly important when it stands in direct contrast to the gross corruption and incompetence in government shown by Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak. I do think we need them now, as a way to embody that.

There's something obscene about a man, with multiple large residences, masses of land ownership, who profits from legally sanctioned inequality and exploitation of feudal subjects, lecturing us about public service and glorifying food banks

we all know how bad inequality & the royals are a profound symbol of that.

I thought it was a good move to film in a public
rather than a personal space. No gossiping about photos or gilt pianos. I think he came across as sincere and thoughtful. I liked it.