AIBU to think the King’s speech was completely irrelevant to most of us

[CoastalGrey]

I know he’s head of the church but he’s also head of the country in general and religion is not a top priority for the vast majority of the people he supposedly represents. If the RF want to stay relevant it’s about time they used their positions for something more useful than spouting a bunch of fairy stories that cause many of the world’s biggest problems.

So the poster was right, you weren't going to like it, not sure why you watched it, unless it was to wind yourself and others up

The fact that Christians chose a similar date for their festival doesn't stop December 25th being a Christian festival. It can be more than one festival at the same time. It's like if you had a large retail site containing a Tesco, and a Sainsbury's set up alongside it; people will simply choose the one they prefer; neither has to close down.

Eh? He was totally coherent and he did no walking in the broadcast!

The message was useful for all non-religious people too: That we all want peace on earth and that we should all pull together no matter what our creed or religion.

I'm a Christian so I enjoyed the religious aspect.

I did not enjoy the Ukrainian song at the end. It was not pretty at all. I'd much have preferred one of the beautiful carols that we all know and love, like Once in Royal David's City or In the Bleak Midwinter.

I disagree - the message was clearly about people of all types pulling together.

I agree. It was a very gentle and sweet message of peace.

You’re right that Jesus was almost certainly not born in December. Many cultures celebrated midwinter festivals—Saturnalia, Yule, Sol Invictus, and others—long before Christmas existed. Early Christians eventually chose to celebrate his birth at this time, partly because it coincided with these popular festivals, providing a cultural moment to point people to Christ.

The exact date doesn’t matter for the Christian faith. What Christians celebrate is the reality that God became human in Jesus (John 1:14), entering history to bring salvation. Scripture never commands a specific birthday celebration; the focus is on Christ himself, not the calendar (Colossians 2:16–17). Christmas is a reminder of the incarnation—God with us—regardless of the day we mark it. The meaning is spiritual and historical, not tied to a particular date.

It wasn’t a very exciting speech but it was definitely very thoughtful and gave a decent message about people getting along together.

Not everyone like the RF or the King and they will always find fault.

Head of the Church of England makes speech on religion, peace, and reconciliation on an important religious festival shock horror!

What did you expect him to go on about - the January sales or his disappointment with his Christmas gifts (so beloved of MN posters)?

Any atheist republicans could have just watched Home Alone or partaken in the annual Christmas argument.

I understand your concern—many people feel that religious or faith references in public speeches don’t resonate with everyone. At the same time, as head of both the country and the Church of England, he naturally reflects on the values his faith teaches, which often overlap with principles that benefit society as a whole, like justice, mercy, and service.

As head of the Church, I hope he feels able to publicly express his beliefs, and doing so can highlight truths that have shaped culture and encouraged acts of love, compassion, and integrity throughout history. The nativity, for example, reminds Christians of God coming into the world in humility and bringing people together—“peace on earth, goodwill to all” is a message about unity that transcends belief. Even for those who don’t share the faith, the hope, service, and care for others that these messages point to can still inspire positive action in the wider community. That’s what I understood from his speech.

Except the King actually works very hard for his "benefits," doing endless paperwork and attending endless meetings behind the scenes, plus doing hundreds of engagements a year for his country, and he continued doing as much as possible throughout his cancer treatment. His Prince's Trust and his championing of climate issues has done much for the country, and he's been doing those things for decades. He has also always been a champion of diversity, saying that he wanted to be Defender of Faiths, not "the faith."

Using your analogy, if a retail park has both a Tesco and a Sainsbury’s, if you tried to insist the retail park was the Sainsbury’s park, those who prefer Tesco would point out that it’s not actually just a Sainsbury’s, there’s a Tesco there too.

Christmas isn’t just a Christian festival, it’s one of many midwinter festivals.

Oh yes there's elements of Yule, yule log, wreaths, etc, that have been incorporated over the years. The tree was a German pagan symbol originally. But Christmas is the Christ Mass celebrated on 25 December, so it's an important festival in the Christian calendar. It's mostly a completely secular event now though, these things evolve over time, perhaps we'll get a new name for it eventually.

The RF isn't so much about power as about unifying the country, though. They don't have any real power. And they represent the UK abroad, of course.

At the very least, I think it's highly valuable to have an over-arching figure-head who is above politics. I would HATE to have some greasy politician as head of state. Having a monarch stops the little weasels getting above themselves, especially as they have to meet with the headmaster monarch every week.

@everywhereeverything1 you’re the embarrassment

I liked that he mentioned doing to others as you would be done by, including in the area of Bethlehem.

My point was that Christianity, or any other religion, is not that important to the majority of people - if anything with all the violence, hatred and division people are actually against it. There are so many more relevant things he could have spoken about and it just makes them seem even more out of touch with the real issues people have to deal with.

Do you really think the majority of people are celebrating Christmas for the religious aspect? At best it’s about family and friends, at worst eating and spending too much.

I liked it. Comforting to be reminded about the meaning of Christmas. Avoided political stuff- unless I missed that part.

You’re right that for many people Christmas is about family, friends, or even just the festive aspects of food and gifts. But it’s also a moment when the Christian message—the nativity, the incarnation—naturally comes to the forefront, and the King, as head of the Church of England, has a role in reflecting that. Celebrating the religious meaning doesn’t take away from the other aspects; it’s more like giving the season its original purpose and context.

Can I just be clear that I wasn’t the poster who said anything about the King’s illness/speech etc. I didn’t feel what he said meant anything to me personally but I’m not going to mock someone who is/has been unwell.

I was impressed. It was clear, coherent and very thoughtful, as I have always found Charles to be.

Agree with other PPs that some people would have found fault no matter what had been said.

@everywhereeverything1 Surely, you’re the embarrassment here…

I thought it was a very nice message, and I think he delivers the speech beautifully. He is far more comfortable in front of the camera than his mother was!

So, there are other midwinter festivals. The one the King is making a speech about, as head of the CofE, is Christmas which has been celebrated here for at least 1500 years.

He mentioned other faiths, working together for peace and universal values and aspirations. The idea of pilgrimage exists outside of religion.

Sounded fine to me.

Our point is his role as head of church