King to deliver Christmas message from former hospital chapel in break with tradition
The King will use his Christmas message to reflect on community cohesion, praising how the nation came together following the summer riots.
The monarch recorded his annual address to the nation at a former hospital chapel, marking the first time in 18 years that it has not been filmed at a royal residence.
The choice of location reflects his key themes of community and healthcare, it is understood.
The King will reflect on an extraordinary year that involved cancer diagnoses for both him and his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, focusing in particular on the incredible work of the healthcare profession.
He will also focus on the importance of community, hailing how people came together in the wake of riots that erupted after three young girls were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport.
The festive broadcast was filmed almost two weeks ago at the tiny Fitzrovia Chapel, which was built at the heart of the former Middlesex Hospital in Pearson Square, central London.
It marks the first time it has been recorded on location since 2006, when it was filmed at Southwark cathedral, and only the third time it has been recorded in a church.
The choice of venue will be seen as an interesting one for a monarch deeply interested in religion who has also this year found himself facing his own personal health crisis.
The King, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February following prostate surgery, continues to receive weekly treatment.
It was the monarch’s own decision to break with tradition by filming the message at an external location rather than at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.
He wanted to give the annual broadcast a fresher, more modern feel, demonstrating his longheld desire to “reach out into communities rather than bringing them into him”, a royal source said.
The Fitzrovia Chapel ticked all his boxes, whilst also happening to boast unique royal links. The King, who had not previously set foot in the church, was “absolutely enchanted” by its size, its “astonishing beauty” and its rich history, The Telegraph understands. He was delighted with the results.
The chapel, which features a golden mosaic ceiling over the nave, offering a space for both staff and patients to reflect and find solace. The gold leaf ceiling features 555 stars and more than 40 different types of marble. George VI, the King’s grandfather, laid the foundation stone when the hospital was rebuilt in 1928.
It was designed by John Loughborough Pearson, the award-winning architect behind buildings such as Truro Cathedral and Westminster Hall, as well as additions to St Margaret’s Church in the grounds of Westminster Abbey.
Its candlesticks, effigies, pews and altar cloths were all purchased with money raised by the medical community and it retains its original door, which was symbolically left ajar to allow people to visit day or night.
The first service held in the chapel was on Christmas Day 1891, with an official opening ceremony by the Bishop of London in June 1892. It quickly became a meeting point for groups of all faiths within the hospital community, as well as a wedding venue for both medical staff and patients.
Notable people commemorated at the Fitzrovia Chapel include Diana Beck, the first female neurosurgeon, who died at the Middlesex Hospital in 1956, and Rudyard Kipling, who died there in January 1936 and whose body lay in state in the chapel before his funeral at Westminster Abbey.
The Middlesex Hospital was also where Diana, Princess of Wales opened London’s first dedicated Aids ward in 1983.
The living Christmas tree shown in the broadcast was decorated with sustainable decorations and later donated to Croydon BME Forum and Macmillan Cancer Support’s Can You C Me? project. It will be placed in the Royal Trinity Hospice, Clapham, the oldest hospice in the UK, of which the Queen has been patron since 2006.
On two occasions, the BBC broadcast from the chapel as part of a series of national hospital radio shows. Today, the building is used as a community space for exhibitions and other events, and is open to the public for those seeking a moment of solace.
“It is also a non-denominational chapel, which of course, is a key focus,” said the royal source. “Even though this is a Christmas address, His Majesty likes to reach out to those of all faiths and none.”
The Telegraph has known the location of the recording since it was filmed but, at the request of the palace, agreed not to publish the details until now.
The late Queen largely filmed her messages at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace or Sandringham, broadcasting to the nation every year of her reign apart from one.
In 1969, a written message was released instead because a repeat of the documentary made about the Royal Family was already scheduled for the holiday period. The first televised message was broadcast live in 1957.
