Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire prepares for King's Christmas message
Queen Elizabeth completed 69 Christmas messages before her death
In less than a week some people across Bucks, Beds, and Herts will be sitting down to watch King Charles' first Christmas message since becoming the monarch.
It follows his first visit to Bedfordshire since becoming the monarch earlier this month.
During her reign, the late Queen Elizabeth gave just under 70 speeches on Christmas Day, with the first taking place in 1952.
Bittersweet moment
Robert Voss is the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, he says 3pm on December 25th will be a bittersweet moment: "We spent 70 years experiencing Her Majesty's Christmas message which was always very well received. In a way it will be a sad moment when Her Majesty isn't sitting in front of the camera.
"But also a new time for His Majesty to be sitting there. I think people in the palace will feel it as much as the general public and people all around the world."
What might be covered
Speculating on what might be covered in the message, the Lord Lieutenant said: "I imagine that he will probably reflect on his mother's reign. I'm sure he will reflect on the fact that a family, as well as a country, as well as a world, has mourned a great monarch.
"Whether he will lay out, to some extent, what his vision for the future of the monarchy is, I don't know. He may or he may not."
He added: "I think he will show himself as coming across as a man engaging with the people, which is what he wants to do. If you look at his visits, he's very much engaging with all sorts of people and all areas of the community, whether it's religious, whether it's charitable."
A coronation year
When asked why the message is so important, the Lord Lieutenant said: "I think these messages are very poignant, very traditional.
"People do remember what is said. Whereas when a monarch gives another speech, they may not remember exactly what was said. I think with the Christmas message, people go away and they remember it for an awfully long time."
And, as the Lord Lieutenant pointed out, it will be a momentous year for the King as preparations for a coronation get underway.