King Charles III recalled memories of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in his first Christmas message as king on Sunday, in a speech that also paid respect to the "selfless dedication" of Britain's public servants, many of whom are in a salary dispute with the government.
In the prerecorded message, Charles, 74, expressed sympathy for those struggling to make ends meet "at a time of great anxiety and hardship." The United Kingdom, like many other regions of the world, is dealing with significant inflation, which has generated a cost-of-living issue for many households.
However, the king's initial remarks remembered his mother, who died in September at the age of 96 after 70 years on the throne.
"Christmas is an especially difficult time for all of us who have lost loved ones," Charles added. "For each familiar turn of the season, we feel their loss and remember them in each cherished tradition."
Following the death of the queen, Charles came to the throne immediately. His coronation will take place in May.
He wore a dark blue suit for his televised Christmas speech. Unlike Elizabeth, who frequently sat at a desk to deliver the yearly speech, Charles stood in front of a Christmas tree at St. George's Chapel, a church on the grounds of Windsor Castle where his mother and father, Prince Philip, are buried.
Charles said he and his mother had "a belief in each person's extraordinary ability to touch, with goodness and compassion, the lives of others and to shine a light in the world around them."
"The essence of our community and the very foundation of our society" may be seen in "health and social care professionals and teachers, as well as all those working in public service whose competence and passion are at the heart of our communities," added the monarch.
Nurses, ambulance crews, teachers, postal workers, and train drivers went on strike last month, putting pressure on UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government. Opinion polls reveal that workers, particularly nurses, have widespread support. Unions are requesting salary increases in accordance with inflation, which was 10.7% in November.
Food and energy prices have skyrocketed in the aftermath of the Covid-19 outbreak and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, putting financial stress on many individuals and families.
The king made no mention of the current uproar surrounding last month's Netflix documentary series about his son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan's decision to step down from royal duties and relocate across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Christmas message was accompanied by video footage of working members of the royal family at official functions. Harry and Meghan did not attend, nor did Prince Andrew, who had his honorary military titles revoked and his status as a working royal revoked due to his relationship with renowned US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew, on the other hand, joined Charles and other senior royals for a Christmas morning walk to a church at the family's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England.
The monarch and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, led family members to St. Mary Magdalene Church for a service. They included Prince William, the heir to the throne and Charles' oldest son, as well as William's wife, Kate, and the couple's three children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.
(With Inputs From Associated Press)