The King’s Christmas Day broadcast was shared online nine hours before it was screened to the nation.
The new monarch’s first address was posted on a YouTube account called The Royal Grift around 6am GMT yesterday.
The pre-recorded message is permitted to be shown at 3pm local time in Commonwealth countries, such as Tuvalu, New Zealand and Australia where the King is head of state – some 12 to 13 hours ahead of UK GMT time. But this is only on condition it is not recorded or uploaded to any streaming platform.
Last night, it was unclear which country the unauthorised video had originated from. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said of the leak: ‘It has happened before on occasion.’ It was not clear whether the Palace would be taking action against YouTube.
The King’s Christmas Day broadcast was shared online nine hours before it was screened to the nation
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In 1992 during the late Queen’s ‘annus horribilis’, a probe was launched after the address was published in The Sun just two days before Christmas.
The Queen sued for breach of copyright and later accepted an apology and a £200,000 donation to charity.
The King’s great-grandfather, King George V, delivered the first royal Christmas broadcast live on the radio from Sandringham in 1932.
The fixed time of 3pm each year was chosen in 1932 because it was considered the best for reaching most of the countries in the British Empire by short wave
The General Post Office was used to reach Australia, Canada, India, Kenya and South Africa.
