A fifth of Brits are planning to move their Christmas lunch to watch King Charles’ speech.

The 74-year-old king’s festive broadcast - which is not only his first but the first ever televised Christmas address from a male monarch in the UK – will air at 3pm on 25 December and with 38% of people agreeing it will be a historic occasion, 22% admitted they will be eating earlier so they don’t miss out on tuning in.

New research from Vitality health insurance found the most popular time for Christmas lunch will be 2pm, with 10.9 million people tucking into their meal then.

Around the country, people from Brighton, Edinburgh, Birmingham and London were found to be most likely to plan their Christmas meal around the timing of the king’s speech.

Charles recorded his speech on 13 December and it’s expected he will pay tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth – who died in September – during the address.

Historian Jeremy Archer told OK! magazine: “He’ll talk about how positive she was and how inclusive she was. It will be solemn and reflective, but it will show gratitude for her reign, her life and all the things she’s achieved.”

In what turned out to be her final Christmas Day speech in 2021, the queen reflected on the death of her “beloved” husband Prince Philip, who passed away in April that year.

She said: “Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why.

“But for me, in the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work – from around the country, the Commonwealth and the world…and as much as I and my family miss him, I know he would want us to enjoy Christmas.”