The King has used his Christmas message to praise “spontaneous bravery” in the wake of the Bondi Beach shootings and the Manchester synagogue attack in the UK.

The broadcast showed the King at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, where he visited survivors of the October terror attack and met those who blocked the doors as a knife-wielding assailant tried to get in.

An arch in Sydney, with the words Bondi Beach, was seen in footage followed by hundreds of floral tributes left after two gunmen targeted a Jewish festival, killing 15 people.

The monarch singled out those brave people who put themselves in “harm’s way to defend others”.

The widely acclaimed hero of the massacre, Syrian-born immigrant Ahmed Al Ahmed, was shot after wrestling a firearm from one of the gunmen.

The annual Christmas broadcast is written by the King and is the rare occasion when he does not turn to the British government for advice.

He put communities at the heart of his message, commenting on the benefits of their “diversity” and how they displayed courage in adversity.

The King’s address, recorded on December 11 in Westminster Abbey’s Lady Chapel, made no reference to his recent “good news” announcement about reducing his cancer treatment, reflecting his wish for his message to mirror society’s experiences during the past 12 months.

There was a strong religious element in the address, and he emphasised the Biblical journeys made by Mary and Joseph, arriving “homeless” in Bethlehem.

The figures in the Christmas story relied on “companionship and kindness of others” during their pilgrimages and found “inner strength” to deal with physical and mental challenges.

Charles added: “To this day, in times of uncertainty, these ways of living are treasured by all the great faiths and provide us with deep wells of hope: of resilience in the face of adversity; peace through forgiveness; simply getting to know our neighbours and, by showing respect to one another, creating new friendships.”

Members of the royal family were featured during the broadcast, from the Queen in a red phone box with a group of children during a visit to Dulwich Picture Gallery and William and the Duchess of Edinburgh clinking paper cups of gin at the Royal Cornwall Show.

The Christmas message of “peace and reconciliation” delivered by angels when they proclaimed the arrival of Jesus — “the greatest pilgrimage of all” — was a “prayer for our times and our communities”, said the King in conclusion.

Charles’s continued support for Ukraine since the early period of Russia’s invasion was reflected in the choice of choir, Songs for Ukraine Chorus, who closed the broadcast by singing the hugely popular Carol Of The Bells, based on a song by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych.

Andrew’s daughters join Christmas

Princess Eugenie and her sister have chosen to spend Christmas with their extended family. Photo: AAP

Britain’s Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie attended the royal family’s traditional Christmas Day church service while their ‍father, Andrew, recently stripped of his titles over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, ​was absent.

The King and Queen led senior royals to a church in Sandringham ⁠in eastern England, about 175 kilometres northeast of London, greeting well-wishers in crisp winter weather.

The monarchs walked ahead while the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, and their three children, followed.

Other family members included Princess Anne and ‌her husband Tim Laurence, ​the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh with their children, as well as ‍the king’s niece Zara and her husband Mike Tindall.

Now known only as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the king’s younger brother has faced mounting pressure over his links to Epstein.

In October, Charles stripped him of all titles, including Duke of York and prince, and ordered ​him to vacate his Windsor home and ‌move to private accommodation on the Sandringham estate, which has been the royal family’s traditional venue for ​their Christmas Day service since 1988.

The attendance of his daughters, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, underscores their continuing presence at family events despite the controversy surrounding their father.

Kate and Charlotte’s piano duet

The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte have performed together on the piano for Kate’s Christmas carol concert.

Mother and daughter sat together at the instrument to play a piece they knew well by Scottish composer Erland Cooper.

The performance was for the Together at Christmas concert, held at Westminster Abbey on December 5, and was pre-recorded last week so did not feature at the live event — but was part of the ITV1 screening of the service on Christmas Eve.

For the past five years, Kate has staged her celebration of Christmas, and at the inaugural event, she surprised audiences by accompanying singer-songwriter Tom Walker on piano as he sang his Christmas song, For Those Who Can’t Be Here.

For her latest performance, the princess played Cooper’s piece Holm Sound using only her left hand, while Charlotte played with just her right in Windsor Castle’s Inner Hall.

The princess and her daughter have enjoyed playing the piece together at home, and as they performed, footage was shown of guests arriving for the carol service — with the Prince of Wales and Kate watching as their children tied paper chains bearing their names on a “Connection Tree” outside the abbey.

The princess also narrated the letter that accompanied every order of service, where she reflected on the Christmas period that reminds us “how deeply our lives are woven together”.

And despite life feeling “fragmented or uncertain” at times, she wrote the festive season “invites us to remember the power of reaching out to one another”.

The pair clearly enjoyed performing together, smiling at each other, and it is understood Kate wanted to include the musical element in the carol service to highlight her belief in the importance of connections – as mentioned in her letter.

-with AAP