The Princess of Wales will honour a beloved member of the Royal Family at this year’s Christmas carol service with a poignant gesture. Princess Catherine’s Together At Christmas carol concert will return for the fifth year at Westminster Abbey on December 5.
This year, the event will celebrate the power of love and togetherness and will recognise and thank people around the country who are acting with love in their communities, contributing to a more cohesive and connected society. Guests arriving at the annual event, which has become a major fixture in the royal calendar, will be treated to music by young performers from Future Talent, a charity co-founded by the late Duchess of Kent.
Katharine passed away on September 4, aged 92, and, as a result, the future Queen’s gesture will honour her life and values.
The charity aims to support musically gifted children from low-income backgrounds. Actors Hannah Waddingham, Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor are set to give readings while carols will be sung by the Westminster Abbey choir, alongside musical performances.
The power of love theme was picked because in a world that can often feel fragmented and disconnected, the service will bring people together to celebrate love in all its forms, organisers say.
This could be love within families, through friendships, across communities or even through moments of connection with strangers.
Guests at Westminster Abbey have been nominated by lord-lieutenants across the UK and charities linked with members of the royal family and also include people who have been invited after having shown love and kindness this year.
They will be greeted by a festive display created by horticulturist Jamie Butterworth based on the importance of nature in our lives while the Royal Horticultural Society is set to donate wreaths made by their ambassadors and schoolchildren.
The service aims to be a blend of traditional and modern elements, inclusive of people of all faiths and none.
Some 15 community carol services, held in places including the Coronation Street Visitor Centre, an arts centre in Newbury and a community farm in Gwent, are also set to take place across the UK with the same love and togetherness theme.
Armagh, Berkshire, Derbyshire, Dumfries, Dyfed, East Riding, Gwent, Greater Manchester, Isle of Wight, Lanarkshire, Nottinghamshire, Renfrewshire & Ayrshire, Suffolk, Wiltshire and Worcestershire are the locations for the community services which are to be hosted by lord-lieutenants and supported by The Royal Foundation.
The Westminster Abbey service is to air on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve and will be repeated on Christmas Day.