King Charles used his annual Christmas message to pay tribute to the selflessness of those who cared for him and the Princess of Wales this year while they were both undergoing cancer treatment.

The 76-year-old monarch said in a pre-recorded message released Wednesday that he and his family are “continuously” impressed by those who have dedicated their lives to helping others.

“From a personal point of view, in particular, I sincerely thank the selfless doctors and nurses who supported me and other members of my family this year through the uncertainties and anxieties of the disease and helped provide us with the strength, care and comfort we needed,” he said in a pre-recorded speech.

The broadcast came hours after the monarch waved to a large crowd of onlookers who have traditionally gathered to see the royal family attend Christmas services at the church at Sandringham, an estate on the windswept North Sea coast that has served as a family retreat for generations.

A year marked by illness in the royal family

The king’s Christmas speech is the third since he came to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, but the first since he was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February.

The monarch’s holiday message is watched by millions of people in the UK and across the Commonwealth, with many households timing Christmas lunch around it.

The king’s treatment, which is believed to be ongoing, forced him to withdraw from public appearances for two months. In recent months, he has been slowly returning to public life, and he was in a good mood on a tour of Australia and the South Pacific in October.

A few weeks after Charles began treatment, the Princess of Wales announced her own cancer diagnosis, sidelining her for most of the year.

Speaking for her annual Christmas service at Westminster Abbey, which was filmed this month but aired on Tuesday night, Catherine also reflected on the love and support she has received.

“A Christmas story encourages us to consider the experiences and feelings of others,” she said. “It also reflects our own vulnerability and reminds us of the importance of giving and receiving empathy, and how much we need each other despite our differences.”

Charles spoke at Fitzrovia Chapel, in central London, which was part of the now-demolished Middlesex Hospital where his first wife, Diana, opened London’s first AIDS ward.

The king tasked the team organizing the broadcast to find a place away from the royal estate, a place with health connections, a strong community presence, and a place of comfort and reflection for those with or without faith.

Charles walked with Queen Camilla as he was followed by his eldest son, Prince William, Catherine and their three children. The king’s daughter-in-law, who slowly returned to public duties after completing chemotherapy, hugged the cancer patient after the service.

Two of Charles’ siblings, Anne, Princess Royal, and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, were also in the procession.

Notably absent from St Mary Magdalene Church was Prince Andrew. Once second in line to the British throne, the king’s 64-year-old brother has become a constant source of tabloid fodder for his financial woes and links to questionable characters, including the late US financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

A Chinese businessman was recently banned from the UK amid concerns that he had cultivated links with Andrew on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.

A message for those suffering from ‘devastating’ conflicts

It is a rare occasion that the monarch’s Christmas message is not recorded at a royal residence, particularly Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. The last time his late mother recorded her message outside the royal estate was in 2006.

Charles also paid tribute to World War II soldiers who died on the beaches of northern France, as well as the few remaining veterans, many of them centenarians, who attended the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy in June.

He said it was a “huge privilege” to meet the “remarkable veterans of that very special generation who gave so bravely on behalf of us all”, but that the specter of war haunts the world this Christmas.

“During the previous commemorations, we could console ourselves with the thought that these tragic events rarely happen in modern times,” he said.

“But this Christmas we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict in the Middle East, Central Europe, Africa and elsewhere pose a daily threat to the lives and livelihoods of many people.”