King Charles III reminisces late Queen Elizabeth in first Christmas speech

King Charles III was undoubtedly thinking of Queen Elizabeth II during a festive custom that is so closely related to the late monarch.

The King's inaugural Christmas speech was televised across the country on Christmas Day. Many others will be hearing the speech for the first time when Queen Elizabeth isn't the one delivering it.

King Charles began by thinking of his mother, who passed away in September at the age of 96. At St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, he taped the prerecorded speech. In September, the Queen's funeral service was held there as well.

"I am standing here in this exquisite Chapel of St. George at Windsor Castle, so close to where my beloved mother, the late Queen, is laid to rest with my dear father," the King, 74, started his speech.

"I am reminded of the deeply touching letters, cards and messages which so many of you have sent my wife and myself and I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family."

He persisted, "Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition."

King Charles continued his speech, "In the much-loved carol 'O Little Town of Bethlehem,' we sing of how 'in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light.' My mother's belief in the power of that light was an essential part of her faith in God, but also her faith in people — and it is one which I share with my whole heart. It is a belief in the extraordinary ability of each person to touch, with goodness and compassion, the lives of others, and to shine a light in the world around them. This is the essence of our community and the very foundation of our society."