King Charles offers 'heartfelt thanks' for cancer support in his Christmas message

King Charles has used his Christmas address to thank doctors and nurses who provided "strength, care and comfort" during his cancer treatment.

- Matthew Weaver

He also praised diversity and the way communities resisted summer riots after the murder of three children in Southport.

Speaking from the Fitzrovia Chapel, a former sacred space of the demolished Middlesex hospital, he offered his "heartfelt thanks" to the medical teams who supported him and his family "through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness".

His remarks come as the Princess of Wales makes a gradual return to public duties after completing a course of chemotherapy. Catherine said in September she was doing what she could to "stay cancer free".

The king's treatment for cancer is expected to continue in the new year, almost a year after it was announced. Further details about his condition and that of the Princess of Wales have not been disclosed.

He said in his address: "I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement."

A substantial part of the king's Christmas speech focused on the counter response to the violent aftermath of the fatal stabbings of three girls at a dance class in Southport on 29 July. He spoke of his "pride" at the way communities came together after the subsequent riots.

Serious disorder broke out triggered by false information about the alleged identity of the attacker.