King Charles’s Christmas Day speech will be available in a new format for the first time since 2012.
The annual Christmas message from the monarch began being broadcast on the radio, before evolving into a TV broadcast, and has since been made available to watch online and even in 3D.
The latest technological advancement has seen the introduction of Virtual Reality headsets into mainstream audiences, and the King is ready to embrace the new technology.
The new Meta Quest 3 VR headset will allow users to view the broadcast while sitting in a luxury wooden lodge or in a full cinema style.
King Charles’s Christmas Speech will be available in VR for the first time
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An insider revealed: “We have a great tradition of embracing new technologies from the very start of the Royal Christmas message and are always looking to reach out to new audiences.”
The King is believed to be selective when it comes to the modern technology he uses, and reportedly does not have his own mobile phone.
This will be King Charles’s fourth Christmas Day speech since he came to the throne in 2022.
The Christmas broadcast began as an idea from the founder of the BBC, Sir John Reith.
King George V was persuaded to interrupt his lunch at Sandringham to address the Commonwealth in 1932 with a script written by Jungle Book author Rudyard Kipling.
The first televised address was in 1957 under Queen Elizabeth II and to mark her Diamond Jubilee year in 2012, it was recorded in 3D.
Queen Elizabeth broadcast her speech in 3D for her Jubilee speech in 2012
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At the time, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “We wanted to do something a bit different and special in this Jubilee year, so doing it for the first time in 3D seemed a good thing, technology-wise, to do.
“The Queen absolutely agreed straight away there was no need for convincing at all, she was absolutely ready to embrace something new in this year.”
This year will see the King deliver his 2025 Christmas message from inside Westminster Abbey, marking only the second time he has chosen to deliver the annual broadcast from outside a royal residence.
Buckingham Palace confirmed His Majesty’s Christmas message will be broadcast on Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25, with the recording filmed in the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey in London.
The decision to film the address at the Abbey reflects a central theme of this year’s message: pilgrimage.
Westminster Abbey remains one of the country’s most significant places of pilgrimage, attracting visitors from across the world who come to reflect on faith, history and national identity.
King Charles’s Christmas message has been recorded away from royal residence for a second year in a row
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PAPilgrims visit the Abbey each year to remember the life and legacy of Edward the Confessor, whose shrine lies at the heart of the church.
The Abbey’s long association with monarchy, faith and national life has made it a focal point for royal ceremonies for nearly a thousand years.
Last year’s broadcast was filmed at the Fitzrovia Chapel in Pearson Square, London, departing from the long-standing tradition of messages being recorded at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or Sandringham.