London (TIP): King Charles III will be giving his second Christmas message from Buckingham Palace in front of a live tree decorated with sustainable ornaments. The message, to be broadcast at 3 pm on December 25, will be the king’s second holiday address since he ascended the throne, but the first since his coronation in May. The natural decorations adorning the tree were made from wood, dried oranges, brown glass, pine cones, and paper. The tree will later be replanted, the palace says.
Charles has promoted environmental causes, such as protecting wildlife and combating climate change long before it became popular, throughout much of his life. He spoke at the beginning of the month at the UN’s COP28 climate summit in Dubai. Last year, in his first Christmas message as monarch, Charles evoked memories of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and paid tribute to the ‘selfless dedication’ of Britain’s public service workers.
Many of those workers spent much of the past year in a fight with the government over pay, creating disruptions in transportation, education and adding to already long wait times at hospitals as doctors, nurses, and ambulance workers walked off the job — some for several days at a time — throughout the year. (AP)