In a first for the British monarchy—and certainly a surprise for anyone who still imagines royalty in black-and-white—King Charles III’s traditional Christmas Day speech is now available in virtual reality. Viewers with a Meta Quest 3 headset could watch this year’s address while “sitting” in a cozy virtual lodge or enjoying the broadcast in full cinematic scale. It’s the latest tech twist for a royal tradition that’s been evolving since King George V first took to the radio waves in 1932 and Queen Elizabeth II brought it to TV in 1957 (and 3D in 2012).
The royal household plays this one off not as a gimmick, but as a deliberate strategy to keep generations engaged. A Palace source noted a longstanding openness to new mediums—and fair enough, if you count holograms next. While King Charles is reportedly a bit of a technophobe (the man doesn’t use a mobile phone), he is rumored to favor Dyson fans and spend a decent amount of time on Zoom, particularly since the lockdown era. That VR headset? Probably not from his personal collection, but the message still marks a step into spatial media for UK state communications.
The timing also underscored a more personal note from the King, who recently shared positive news about his cancer treatment. In a separate address for a Channel 4 charity event, he credited early diagnosis for allowing him to continue a relatively active schedule—and announced his treatment plan can soon be scaled back. Royal family aside, the move to VR hints at bigger opportunities in narrative-driven immersive broadcasting—where institutions like Buckingham Palace are trying to tell stories in rooms where the walls aren’t real.
Full story at FemaleFirst.