The Princess of Wales’s fifth annual Christmas Carol Service will celebrate love, kindness and compassion. Catherine will lead the Together at Christmas event, held at Westminster Abbey on Friday December 5, which will recognise love in all forms in a world that can often feel fragmented and disconnected.
The princess’s appreciation of nature and the important role is plays as a source of connection in our lives will also feature in the hour-long service, as well as a sweet nod to the late Duchess of Kent, who died in September aged 92. Readings will be given by actors Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Joe Locke, who will be accompanied by pianist Paul Gladstone Reid, and the Prince of Wales.
Kensington Palace said: “The service will bring people together to celebrate love in all its forms – whether it’s love within families, through friendships, across communities, or powerful moments of kindness between strangers.
“The service will celebrate individuals from across the UK who may have dedicated or volunteered their time to be present with others, led initiatives that bring people in their community together, or offered a helping hand to those around them.”
Over 1,600 people will attend the festive service, including members of the Royal Family such as Mike and Zara Tindall and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
William is expected to arrive with the couple’s three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven. The King and Queen are not expected to attend, having only attended the service in 2022.
Attendees will enjoy special musical performances from Hannah Waddingham, Griff, Katie Melua and Cornish folk music group, Fisherman’s Friends, as well as seeing young performers from Platinum Performing Arts dance inside the Abbey.
The service will also showcase stories of some of the incredible guests in the congregation, who are leading by example and helping to create a more caring and connected society and candles will be lit by people William and Catherine have met in recent years and those involved in the service.
For the first time since the princess launched the event in 2021, a live illustrator will sketch snapshots of the atmosphere inside the Abbey in real time.
In a nod to Catherine’s work showcasing the important role nature plays in maintaining our mental health, horticulturist Jamie Butterworth will create a natural, festive environment outside the Abbey.
When the congregation arrives at the Abbey, they will be welcomed by eight young performers aged between 13-18 from Future Talent, a charity co-founded by the late Duchess of Kent to support musically gifted children from low-income backgrounds.
The former working royal turned music teacher was laid to rest on September 16, in the first Catholic funeral for a modern member of the Royal Family.
As guests enjoy the performance, they will be transported to a magical wonderland, as the entrance is lined with British woodland trees interwoven with fruits, berries and Christmas trees.
Inside, gorgeous wreaths will adorn the abbey, donated by The Royal Horticultural Society and florist Simon Lycet.
There will also be a ‘Connection Tree’ supported by Hobbycraft, at which guests will be able to add their own named loop onto a paper chain adorning the tree, symbolising the power of togetherness and the importance of moments of connection with one another.
Alongside the service at Westminster Abbey, fifteen community carol services will take place around the UK across December, including services at Nottinghamshire the Coronation Street Visitor Centre in Greater Manchester and Paisley Abbey in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire.
Alongside the service at Westminster Abbey, fifteen community carol services will take place across the UK in December to provide a moment for people to come together and celebrate community work during the festive season.
The event will be broadcast as part of Royal Carols: Together At Christmas, a special programme airing on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve with a repeat showing on Christmas Day morning.