King Charles Filmed Christmas Speech in Former Hospital Chapel in Surprise Move [Video]

King Charles switched up tradition this Christmas and recorded his traditional holiday broadcast as sovereign from a former hospital chapel instead of a royal residence at the end of a difficult year in which he and Kate Middleton were both diagnosed with cancer.

On Dec. 23, it emerged that the King, 76, filmed the address at Fitzrovia Chapel, the former chapel of Middlesex Hospital in London. PEOPLE understands that the speech will reflect on national, international and personal challenges, and how they can be surmounted through mutual community support.

The Telegraphwas first to report the news of the unique location, which marks a departure from past precedent in recent years. The upcoming broadcast will be the first time in 18 years that the monarch’s Christmas speech wasn’t recorded at a royal estate, and Fitzrovia Chapel was a poignant choice, constructed at the heart of the hospital as a place for patients and staff to seek peace. King Charles’ …