King Charles has hailed the world’s religious faiths for “how much we have in common” in his Christmas Day message.
The British monarch used his traditional televised speech, recorded at Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey, to express hope for a peaceful future through shared values.
The king has long seen his role as helping to build bridges between communities, faith groups and others, believing he is a part of society, not apart from it.
“As I meet people of different faiths, I find it enormously encouraging to hear how much we have in common; a shared longing for peace and a deep respect for all life,” he said.
“If we can find time in our journey through life to think on these virtues, we can all make the future more hopeful.”
King Charles developed his theme by invoking the biblical story of the birth of Jesus Christ and the how “journeying is a constant theme of the Christmas story”.
“The holy family made a journey to Bethlehem and arrived homeless, without proper shelter. The wise men made a pilgrimage from the East to worship at the cradle of Christ; and the shepherds journeyed from field to town in search of Jesus, the saviour of the world.
“In each case, they journeyed with others, and relied on the companionship and kindness of others. Through physical and mental challenge, they found an inner strength.
“To this day, in times of uncertainty, these ways of living are treasured by all the great faiths and provide us with deep wells of hope: of resilience in the face of adversity; peace through forgiveness; simply getting to know our neighbours and, by showing respect to one another, creating new friendships.”
The broadcast showed Charles at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, where he visited survivors of a terrorist attack in October and met those who blocked the doors as a knife-wielding assailant tried to enter.
An arch in Sydney, Australia, with the words Bondi Beach also featured in footage, followed by hundreds of floral tributes left after two gunmen targeted a Jewish festival this month, killing 15 people.
The widely acclaimed hero of the massacre, Syrian-born immigrant Ahmed Al Ahmed, was shot after wrestling a firearm from one of the gunmen.
The king praised the “spontaneous bravery” of those who had put themselves in “harm’s way to defend others”.
“This year, I have heard so many examples of this, both here and abroad," he said. "These stories of the triumph of courage over adversity give me hope, from our venerable military veterans to selfless humanitarian workers in this century’s most dangerous conflict zones; to the ways in which individuals and communities display spontaneous bravery, instinctively placing themselves in harm’s way to defend others.”
Earlier, members of the British royal family arrived for the traditional Christmas Day church service in Sandringham.
The king and queen led the walk to St Mary Magdalene Church, past a crowd of well-wishers.
They waved and smiled at members of the public, some of whom had queued for hours to catch a glimpse of the royals.
Among those present were the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
