Half of the British public plan on snubbing King Charles III's first Christmas speech, which is traditionally broadcast to the nation and Commonwealth on December 25, according to a recent poll.
Some 49 percent of Brits said they don't plan on watching Charles on Christmas day, with 8 percent of that number saying they had previously tuned in to watch his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II's broadcasts.
A total of 38 percent of the respondents to the YouGov poll, conducted on December 6, said they did plan to watch Charles' speech, with 13 percent saying that they didn't know.
British monarchs have delivered an annual Christmas speech to the public every year since 1932, when King George V (Charles' great-grandfather) started the tradition.
The speech is broadcast at 3 p.m. on December 25 each year. The first 25 addresses were aired on the radio.
Queen Elizabeth II became the first monarch to record her Christmas message for television in 1957, just four years after she acceded to the throne. Elizabeth broadcast her messages every Christmas during her reign, except one.
In 1969, there was no television or radio broadcast. Instead, a printed message was issued from Buckingham Palace. This was a personal decision made by the queen after the royal family had participated in a fly-on-the-wall documentary that was released earlier that same year.
The Royal Family documentary was recorded to mark the then-Prince Charles' 21st birthday. Though it was shown to great public acclaim, the film was criticized for removing the layer of mystique that protected the monarchy and it marked a turning-point in the royals' relationship with the press. After its release, public interest in the behind-the-scenes lives of the royals spiked, removing the barrier of deference that had been in place during the earliest years of the queen's reign.
Following that broadcast, the queen refused to grant permission for the film to be shown in subsequent years and that Christmas, instead of allowing the cameras in once again to film her annual speech, she released the printed version, which began with the words:
"I have received a great number of kind letters and messages of regard and concern about this year's break with the usual broadcast at Christmas, and I want you all to know that my good wishes are no less warm and personal because they come to you in a different form."
Though Buckingham Palace hasn't yet confirmed that King Charles will be making a speech this Christmas, it's unlikely that he will break with such an entrenched royal tradition.
The broadcast would mark his second as monarch, following his largely popular accession speech, which was made from Buckingham Palace following his mother's death in September.
Despite an initial surge in popularity following the death of the queen, Charles—and the royal family at large—have taken a dive at the polls in recent weeks.
YouGov polling figures for December reveal that Charles is the fourth-most popular royal, with a net approval rating of +35. This is down from +43 recorded just last month.
The numbers tell a similar story across the board. Prince William and Kate Middleton remain the most popular royals with +62 and +57 net approval ratings, respectively. These are down from +69 and +64 in November.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took a more substantial dive in terms of popularity with the British public. December results see them with -26 and -39 net approval ratings which are down from -13 and -32 last month.
Newsweek approached Buckingham Palace for comment.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Correction 12/21/22, 4:23 p.m. ET: The number of radio broadcasts has been amended.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
