The King will deliver a powerful message about the environment in his annual Christmas address to the nation.
Charles is set to give his Christmas Day address from a Buckingham Palace room decorated with a living Christmas tree in a bid to highlight sustainability.
All of the decorations on the tree are crafted from plants or made from recyclable material, according to the Daily Mail.
A picture released by Buckingham Palace on Saturday showed the smiling monarch posing in front of the tree.
It is the first time a living tree has been used as part of the backdrop for Charles’ annual festive address to the nation and Commonwealth.
A royal aide told the newspaper that sustainability was a “key point” in how the Christmas message was staged.
However, the contents of the speech are expected to address broader themes.
Charles, like Queen Elizabeth, writes his Christmas broadcasts and last year he followed his mother’s well-established template - a personal reflection on the year, touching on current issues and with a Christian framework.
The King is a long-term environmental campaigner who delivered a speech at the recent COP28 UN Climate Change summit, and the tree will be replanted after the broadcast.
Traditionally, the Christmas message has been apolitical to avoid the Royal Family from courting controversy.
Environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth praised Charles’ message.
The charity’s head of policy, Mike Childs, said: “The King has been a long-term champion of the environment, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he used his speech to help raise awareness of the urgent need to live more sustainably.
“With the world facing both a nature and climate crisis, we need everyone – especially our politicians – to do more to help safeguard our planet.”
Charles’ Christmas message will be broadcast at 3pm on Christmas Day.
This year, it will be broadcast from the Buckingham Palace room that leads on to the royal residence’s iconic balcony.
Members of the Royal Family have gathered in the Centre Room ahead of historic balcony appearances like after Charles’ coronation or Trooping the Colour celebrations.
In the background can be seen the Queen Victoria Memorial which was planned by King Edward VII as a tribute to his mother and her reign but, after his death in 1910, was opened a year later by his son King George V.
Resting on a table to the King’s right is a pot pourri bowl with gilt metal cover believed to have been acquired by George IV. The circular tazza-shaped bowl of Japanese lacquered wood with gilt bronze mounts is held by the Royal Collection Trust.
