• ITV crew was asked to wrap up and the BBC was given the assignment instead.
• King Charles’ Christmas message is his first since Queen Elizabeth passed away.
• No explanation has been given for the last-minute change. The speech will air at 3 p.m. on Christmas Day.

It has been dubbed “ripping up the royal rota” that the BBC, rather than ITV, carried King Charles‘ Christmas message, his first since Queen Elizabeth passed away earlier this year.

The Sun claims that an ITV video crew had been scheduled to record the King’s historic first Christmas speech in accordance with the royal rota system, but the team was abruptly asked to wrap up and the BBC was given the assignment in its place.

It’s important to note that King Charles recorded his Christmas address on Tuesday, December 13, just a few days before his son Prince Harry denigrated the British press and the “royal rota” in his Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan.

An insider explained the last-minute substitution as follows: “It was ITV’s turn but they were cancelled and the BBC called instead. No explanation has been given for the last-minute change.”

ITV covered the late Queen’s final speech last year, which meant that it had the rights to record King Charles’ first speech this year. According to the site, Sky, ITV, and the BBC share filming rights of the monarch’s speech on a rota system, which rotates every two years.

Both the alteration and the location of the speech’s filming have been declined by Buckingham Palace.

As this will be the first Christmas season in the UK without Queen Elizabeth in 70 years, royal devotees are anticipating a “tear-jerking” moment when King Charles’ Christmas speech airs at 3 p.m. on Christmas Day.

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