King uses Christmas message to praise ‘growing awareness’ of protecting environment

The King has used his second Christmas message to praise people’s “growing awareness of how we must protect our Earth”.

The monarch described the natural world as a “manifestation of the divine” and said that caring for it is a “responsibility owned by people of all faiths and none”.

“We care for the Earth for the sake of our children’s children,” he said.

Alongside a clip of him being shown the work of Baus Taka Enterprise in Mombasa, Kenya, he said: “During my lifetime I’ve been so pleased to see a growing awareness of how we must protect the Earth and our natural world as the one home which we all share.

“I find great inspiration now from the way so many people recognise this.”

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That message is also reflected in the Christmas story, he added, “which tells us that angels brought the message of hope first to shepherds”.

He described them as “people who lived simply along God’s creatures” and “those close to nature”.

He also referenced the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine as a “time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world” and said he “prays that we can also do all in our power to protect each other”.

“The words of Jesus seem more than ever relevant: do to others as you would have them to you,” he said.

Reflections on coronation and caring for others

Reflecting on his coronation in May, he said he and Queen Camilla were “delighted” by the presence of hundreds of NHS, social care and other key workers at Westminster Abbey, describing them as an “essential backbone of our society”.

On the theme of caring for others, clips of him, Camilla, Prince William, the Princess of Wales, and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte were played taking part in various community projects, including one organised by the Scouts and the Coronation Food Project.

“Throughout the year, my family have witnessed how people of all ages are making a difference to their communities,” the King said.

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There were brief references to his mother, the late Queen, and “those who are no longer with us”, as well as the cost of living crisis – which he called a “time of real hardship to many”.

The message was filmed at Buckingham Palace, without his mother’s signature framed photographs of family members in the background – and a Christmas tree instead.

It ended with a performance by the Bexley Music Primary Choir from south London.

The King and his family are spending Christmas at the royal estate in Sandringham, Norfolk.