‘Capable of both great cruelty and great kindness’: What King Charles said in his Easter message

King Charles III and Queen Camilla sing during the Royal Maundy Service at Durham Cathedral, in Durham, England, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Anthony Devlin/Pool Photo via AP)

LONDON -- King Charles on Thursday used his annual Easter message to reflect on war, human suffering and the heroism of those who risk their lives to protect others.

“One of the puzzles of our humanity is how we are capable of both great cruelty and great kindness,” he said, describing what he called the “paradox of human life.”

“At one moment, terrible images of human suffering and, in another, heroic acts in war torn countries where humanitarians of every kind risk their own lives to protect the lives of others.”

Charles, 76, will later attend the Royal Maundy Service at Durham Cathedral, a ceremony in which 76 men and 76 women receive symbolic gifts of specially minted coins in a centuries-old custom that recognizes recipients for their Christian service.

“There are three virtues that the world still needs — faith, hope and love. ‘And the greatest of these is love,’” Charles said, referring to a passage from the New Testament.

Reporting by William James; editing by Michael Holden, Reuters