Originally appeared on E! Online
King Charles III has made a royal change.
For this year’s holiday address to the nation—which airs on Christmas Day—the monarch chose a new location, filming the broadcast at the Lady Chapel of Westminster Abbey on Dec. 11.
It’s the first time the broadcast has been filmed at the location and only the second time the Christmas speech was recorded outside of a royal residence since 2006. The 77-year-old previously filmed his 2024 address at Fitzrovia Chapel located at London’s Pearson Square.
And it’s not just the Christmas broadcast that is different this year, as King Charles officially took over the unofficial title of hardest–working royal from Princess Anne. The King carried out 532 royal engagements over the last 12 months, 50 more than his 75-year-old sister, according to the Court Circular of 2025, the official record of royal engagements.
The achievement comes amid King Charles’ cancer treatments, with Buckingham Palace first sharing the news of his cancer diagnosis and treatment in February 2024. But as he recently announced, his treatments would be reduced in 2026 “thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to ‘doctors’ orders.”
READ King Charles III Marks His 77th Birthday With New Portrait
“This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years,” he said in a message during Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer special Dec. 12, “testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the 50 percent of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.”
Emphasizing the importance of early detection, the royal continued, “I know, too, what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life, even while undergoing treatment.”
“A few moments of minor inconvenience are a small price to pay for the reassurance,” His Majesty added, “or, for some, are given the chance to enable early detection, with the life-saving intervention that can follow.”
He added, “Your life—or the life of someone you love—may depend upon it.”
For a look back at all the royal news from the year, keep reading.
PHOTOS: Prince Andrew at Katharine, Duchess of Kent’s Funeral Mass in Sept 2025
