Christmas is right around the corner, and King Charles III is facing a lot of pressure to hit the right notes in his first holiday speech as the Monarch.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have the new King on defense, and he needs to reassure an entire nation with his words.
While many observers agree that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could have caused more damage to the British monarchy with their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, they have still managed to land a few punches.
Since King Charles has decided to take the high road and not go after the power couple, he has to convince people that he has made the right call.
Moreover, the tension is not only linked to the Sussexes; it also has to do with King Charles replacing his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
He needs to convey the idea that the monarchy is in the right hand and that he has everything under control. A former staffer told PEOPLE: “This first year, he will feel the pressure to get it right. Every nuance will be picked over. We are so used to seeing the iconic footage of the Queen leading her family to church on Christmas morning. This year there will be a great deal of reflection and sorrow. She was a one-take wonder — she was extraordinary.”
King Charles’s speech on Christmas Day comes after a tumultuous few weeks for his reign. Prince William‘s godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, was caught in the middle of a race row featuring a Black charity leader.
Although Camilla, Queen Consort‘s friend, has apologized for her poor behavior, the incident was a fresh reminder that the monarchy is on icy ground when it comes to race issues.
The Sussexes’ docuseries made things more complicated and put the monarchy in a negative light for weeks. There is also the renegade prince’s tell-all memoir Spare that will be released on January 10.
It promises to cause even more drama. That is the reason why the Christmas speech will serve as some kind of prebuttal before Prince Harry’s big media blitz. King Charles is now forced to cling to tradition in his quest for more legitimacy.
For a famed commentator, all of this is an illusion.
Royal commentator Christopher Andersen told The Daily Express: “To at least maintain the illusion of continuity and stability, Charles clings to tradition whenever he can.”
He continued: “Christmas at Sandringham is one of those traditions. The Queen’s absence will be felt, without doubt, and in his annual Christmas speech, Charles will pay fulsome tribute to the impact his mother made over her long reign.”
The King will also have to work on “selling the public on the notion of Camilla as Queen Consort,” also according to the author of The King: The Life of Charles III.
The Sussexes have painted an image of the monarchy that is outdated and incapable of adapting to modernity. King Charles will have to prove them and other doubters wrong.
