The King's Speech 2022: King Charles III will be making his first Christmas address this December

King Charles III is expected to make his first Christmas Day speech as the country's monarch, continuing with the tradition that his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, took on every year.

The event marks the UK's first King's Speech in almost 70 years, and he will be the first male monarch to address the nation on TV. Before Queen Elizabeth's first televised speech in 1957, her predecessor, King George VI, delivered his speeches via radio.

The storied royal tradition began in 1932 with King George V, but it has evolved over the years. Though the Christmas Broadcast was already popular by this time, it had still not yet become the regular tradition it is today. Indeed, there had been no broadcasts in 1936 or 1938. It was the outbreak of war in 1939 which firmly established the Royal Christmas Broadcast. With large parts of the world facing an uncertain future, King George VI spoke live to offer a message of reassurance to his people.

This Christmas will mark King Charles's second address to the nation, with his first address taking place in September shortly after Queen Elizabeth's passing. If he is to make the speech as usual, the broadcast will air across TV, radio and online on Christmas Day, Sunday 25th December, traditionally at the broadcast time of 3pm. 

What will the King talk about in this year's speech?
The overall theme of King Charles III's speech is yet to be confirmed, however it's likely that the new monarch will pay tribute to his late mother, who died in September at the age of 96, and reflect on celebrations around her Platinum Jubilee earlier in the year.