The King's Speech

January 2026

The Church of England (Continuing) Statement on the King’s Christmas Day Speech 2025.

The King’s Speech was a sincere and heartfelt attempt to promote peace at home and abroad. There has been much discord, conflict, war, chaos, violence, turmoil and unrest in 2025. Not least the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine in Europe, and the war between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East with the resulting growing antisemitism at home and abroad. The King reminded us that the way forward is to pursue peace and reconciliation. We are to be peaceable and peacemakers. This is commendable. Good and godly King David could say "I am for peace” (Psalm 120:7). The Apostle James says: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20).

In the beginning of his speech, the King reminded us with enthusiasm his “historic moment of spiritual unity” with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on 23rd October 2025 as a prime example of peace and reconciliation. Our response to this as faithful Protestants is that the holy scriptures which are the final authority for faith and practice reveal to us that we are not to be peacemakers at any price. True Christians are not to trade truth for peace. Unity in truth is to be pursued but there must never be unity with error. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Great High Priestly prayer for His church was for unity with the prerequisite sanctification based on truth: "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17).
Peaceableness and peace-making also have limitations regarding the true Christian’s calling to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude v 3). We must be prepared to let go of our pursuit of peace to keep the truth of the Word of God and the Christian faith and the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The pursuit of reconciliation between the Biblical Protestant Christian faith and Roman Catholicism is an impossibility without fundamentally compromising the faith. The fact is that the two are diametrically opposed theologically. Jude v 3 reveals to us that the true church is to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”. The phrase “once delivered” emphasises that the essential content of the Christian faith is not subject to change. The historic Protestant confessions such as the XXXIX Articles of Religion still plainly affirm: “The Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith” (Article XIX).
Such false ecumenism would contradict the Coronation Oath. During the coronation service on 6th May 2023, the King, as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, with his hand on an open Bible, made a solemn oath before Almighty God and the people. He promised to the utmost of his power to “maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the true Protestant Reformed Religion established by law”, and to “maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established”. This is required by the Coronation Oath Act of 1689.

We continue pray for His Majesty the King that the one true God will open his eyes to the truth of the Gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).