Kate’s letter to volunteers released ahead of Christmas carol service
The Princess of Wales praised the community leaders invited to the Christmas carol service and recognized their work to make “an extraordinary difference to the lives of others”.
On Friday, the future queen will preside over the Christmas Together service at Westminster Abbey, now in its fifth year.
The service, which will bring together members of the royal family and 1,600 guests, will recognize people from across the UK who dedicate or volunteer their time to be with others, lead community initiatives or lend a helping hand to those around them.
Kate wrote a letter to guests praising the Christmas season, reminding them “how deeply interwoven our lives are”, adding that although life can feel “fragmented or uncertain” at times, the festive season “invites us to remember the power of reaching out to each other”.
“This carol service offers a moment of collective togetherness, a chance to celebrate the spirit of community and service, and to honor the visible and invisible ties that unite us all,” Kate says in her letter to carol service guests.
“The time, care and compassion you give, often silently and unspoken, without expectation or recognition, makes an extraordinary difference in the lives of others.”
Among those invited is schoolgirl Madison Reed, who last year raised more than £1,360 for the Archie Foundation by dancing at 26 venues around Scotland, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet.
It raised funds for the charity, which supports sick children and their families receiving medical care in north-east Scotland.
Another dedicated worker who will join the guests is Ann Davies, 80, who has been a volunteer cook for almost a decade at the Moses Project, a charity that provides counseling and support to men with past and current addictions to drugs and alcohol.
The 80-year-old also volunteers as a responsible adult at Middlesbrough police station, supporting vulnerable people who have been arrested.
In her letter, Kate also says: “Christmas is a time that reminds us how deeply woven our lives are. Just as the roots of trees share the unseen but vital force beneath the soil, so do we.
“We are instinctively drawn to belonging and connection. Despite the rush and familiar traditions around, there is a quieter sense of what this evokes within us.
“There is a softness to the season that reminds us of something that is easy to forget: that the work we do is important.
“Our words, our choices, and even the way we take care of each other ripple outward, touching lives we may never see.”
The princess will be accompanied to the ceremony by her husband, the Prince of Wales, who will give a reading, and royal fans are hoping their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will appear along with other members of the royal family.
Katie Melua, Fisherman’s Friends and Griff will perform in a line-up that includes actress Hannah Waddingham and Dan Smith from pop rock band Bastille.
At the event, speakers accompanied by pianist Paul Gladstone Reid will give readings related to the theme of love, compassion and connection by Hollywood stars Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor, comedian Babatunde Aleshe and rising actor Joe Locke.
Around 15 community caroling ceremonies will also take place across the UK with the same theme of love and togetherness, held at places including the Coronation Street Visitor Centre, an arts center in Newbury and a community farm in Gwent, and these guests will also receive Kate’s letter.
The Westminster Abbey service will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve and will be repeated on Christmas Day.
