Jennie Bond backs King Charles in wake of his Christmas Day message

King Charles has been praised for the way in which he has handled the accusations made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle against the Royal Family.
Charles’s pre-recorded address to the nation mirrored the late Queen’s well-established template, with a personal reflection on the year touching on current issues and with a Christian framework.
In his message, he sympathised with families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and spoke about the “great anxiety and hardship” experienced by many trying to “pay their bills”.
The central theme was a celebration of “selfless dedication”, a value embodied by the Queen, and he praised the actions of individuals, charities and faith groups supporting those in need.
He delivered the historic Christmas broadcast from the quire of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, mirroring the late Queen’s 1999 festive address.
Speaking to GB News this afternoon, Royal commentator Jennie Bond paid tribute to his approach : “It was the imagery itself which told us of his sentimentality and his love, his affection for his mother and his father.
“The Queen actually gave one of her Christmas messages from St George’s Chapel, so he wasn’t actually breaking new ground. But it was a very safe territory because we journalists went all pouring over the background of which pictures of which members of the family were there or not there. That was quite clever, I thought.
“And also there was a little message in the Christmas Tree, which was adorned with sustainable decorations, all of them sustainable and recyclable, which I thought was quite clever.”
Reflecting on the significance of leaving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle out of the speech, she said: “I think if he had mentioned them then it would have obliterated everything else he said. That’s all we’d be talking about.
“Harry and Meghan can say what they want, complain as much as they want publicly, but the Royal family are not going to be goaded into a public response and I think that is the most dignified way of going about it. We’re just seeing them carrying on with their work.
“The core members of the Royal family. Yes, it was quite clear that Harry and Meghan weren’t even pictured. But then they’re not working royals, that’s their job. Why should they be?”
Ms Bond’s comments were echoed by Charles’ former butler who says it “made sense” not to mention Meghan and Harry in his Christmas Day speech.
The King’s decision not to refer to his son surprised some, but Grant Harrold said it was the wise thing to do.
Speaking to GB News he said: “I like to think it was a sensible move. I think the reality is that for the King, he obviously talked about the Prince and Princess of Wales and their recent visit to Wales, which was a significant moment for the Royal family.
“I think with everything that’s gone on recently, it was probably best not to mention Harry and Meghan. They’re not working into the Royal family so there isn’t any real reason to mention them as such, because they haven’t done anything of significance as working members of the Royal family. So it probably made sense not to mention them, to be honest.”
On the speech as a whole he added; “It was interesting to me. It was quite significant because obviously it’s the first time we’ve had a King do a televised speech. When he talked about the different faiths and recognised other faiths, that’s something that’s really important to him, so I think that was very important.”
Charles invoked his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, in his first Christmas message to the nation as monarch and spoke of his faith in humanity at a time of “great anxiety and hardship”.
Charles said he shares with his “whole heart” his mother’s faith in God and people. He was speaking from St George’s Chapel, the final resting place of the late Queen and from where Elizabeth delivered a Christmas message in 1999.
“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,” Charles said.
“And at this time of great anxiety and hardship — be it for those around the world facing conflict, famine or natural disaster, or for those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm — we see it in the humanity of people.”