King Charles’ First Christmas Message

In his first Christmas message since assuming the throne and the status of titular head of the Church of England, King Charles stressed care and compassion.

 

“Over this past year my heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another—going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do: at work and at home; within and across communities.”

He described volunteers as “an essential backbone of our society.” And he spoke of service as being “at the heart of the Christmas story,” saying that Jesus showed “by his own example how to love our neighbour as ourselves.”

Upon his coronation on May 6, 2023, Charles III became the 25th British monarch to hold the position of head of the Church of England. This dates to 1534, when Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, which defined the right of Henry VIII to be supreme head of the Church of England, signaling the breaking of ecclesiastical links with Rome. However, in practice, just as the King’s powers as UK head of state are largely symbolic and ceremonial, so is his ecclesiastical authority.

An article by Danica Kirka in the Associated Press several days before King Charles’  coronation states that 70 years ago “more than 80% of the people of England were Christian, and the mass migration that would change the face of the nation was just beginning. That figure has now dropped below half, with 37% saying they have no religion, 6.5% calling themselves Muslim and 1.7% Hindu, according to the latest census figures.”

In September 2022, Charles told a gathering of faith leaders that he sees the responsibility of the monarch to include protecting “the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practice through the religions, cultures, traditions and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals.”