Let us indeed hope that light overcomes darkness in 2023

Editorial: The King was wise to tailor his message not just to people of all faiths, but also to those with none

The King has kept out of politics since succeeding his late mother (PA)

In his first Christmas broadcast to the nation, King Charles was right to focus on the cost of living crisis that has made the festive season another financial headache, rather than a celebration, for many families – and for the people working in public services.

By acknowledging the “great anxiety and hardship” of those trying to “pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm”, he ensured that his speech was rooted in the real world.

Although the King has kept out of politics since he succeeded his late mother – and even resisted the temptation to get involved during the Cop27 climate conference – we can detect a link between his twin themes of hard-pressed households and public sector workers.

Many public employees are in both camps, struggling to feed their families or pay their energy bills; there is surely something wrong with the fifth-richest country in the world when some of its nurses need to rely on food banks.

That is why the current wave of industrial action cannot be dismissed as a political act organised by militants clamouring for a “de facto general strike”, as some Conservatives have claimed. It is a grassroots reaction to 12 years of austerity during which public sector wages have fallen behind those in the private sector.

In asking the workers who keep our services running to accept a settlement that amounts to a real-terms pay cut, being worth half the level of the current double-digit inflation, the government has misjudged the mood of its employees and of the nation at large.

The King singled out health and social care professionals and teachers (who, along with junior doctors, may add to the list of those taking industrial action in the new year). He paid tribute to the emergency services and the armed forces. It was perhaps surprising that he did not mention directly the courageous struggle of the people of Ukraine – which was rightly highlighted by the archbishop of Canterbury in his Christmas Day sermon, and by Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer in their respective festive messages.

The footage accompanying the King’s pre-recorded message featured members of the royal family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the Princess Royal.

There were no images of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who stepped down as working royals in 2020. Of course, their inclusion would have provoked countless headlines about an “olive branch” to Harry and Meghan, and launched another episode of the endless royal soap opera.

Much as the King would like peace to break out in his family before his coronation next May, it is unlikely to do so. His younger son’s Netflix documentary will be followed by a memoir, Spare, and by more media interviews in the new year.

King Charles’s overarching theme was the hope for “everlasting light”, echoing the late Queen’s upbeat tone in what would prove to be her final Christmas broadcast a year ago. For many people, this year’s message will be highly poignant as it will remind them of the loss of their beloved Queen; indeed, it was recorded close to where she rests in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The King was wise to tailor his message not just to people of all faiths, but also to those with none. It will be easier for him than for his mother to come to terms with the fact that, according to the census published last month, the proportion of people identifying as Christian has fallen below 50 per cent for the first time.

Let us indeed hope that light overcomes darkness in 2023. In Ukraine, the omens are not propitious; the conflict is beyond the control of those countries, including the UK, that are supporting the Ukrainians in their historic struggle.

Closer to home, a resolution to the industrial strife lies in the hands of the government and the trade unions. We hope that some goodwill on both sides will provide one sooner rather than later.