King Charles III will take over an annual tradition this Christmas, giving his first ever festive address to the nation. The annual royal speech has been broadcast since 1932.
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2022 has been a time of major change for the royal family, with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Charles will no doubt be paying tribute to his mother, and reflecting on everything that has happened this year. He may also be looking towards the future.
Here’s how and when you can tune in, even if you’re not in the UK.
When is the King’s Christmas Speech this year?
The King’s Speech will be broadcast at 3pm GMT on Christmas Day (25 December 2022), and it will last roughly ten minutes.
How to watch the King’s Christmas Speech on TV
In the UK, the King’s Royal Christmas Message, as it is officially called, is broadcast on BBC One, BBC Two and ITV1. It is also broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (92-95FM and 103-105FM).
As ever, the message will be pre-recorded and broadcast to all member countries of the commonwealth.
How to watch the Queen’s Speech online from anywhere
Shortly after the TV broadcast, you will be able to catch up on the speech over on the official BBC and Royal Family YouTube channels.
You can also stream the King’s speech online as it airs via iPlayer. You can watch in a web browser, or by downloading the app on your phone or tablet.
Using iPlayer is the best way to see the speech live if you’re not in one of the countries where the speech is aired. However, iPlayer is technically only available within the UK.
To get around this limitation you can use a VPN and choose a UK server, which will make it appear that you are in the UK. Not all VPN services unblock iPlayer, but several which do include ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Hidden24.
