Princess Kate makes announcement about her Christmas Carol Concert | Royal | News
The Princess of Wales’s fifth annual Christmas Carol Ceremony will celebrate love, kindness and compassion. Catherine will lead the Together in Christmas event at Westminster Abbey on Friday 5 December, which will recognize love in all its forms in a world that often feels fragmented and disconnected.
The hour-long ceremony will also cover the princess’s appreciation of nature and the important role of play as a source of connection in our lives, and will pay tribute to the late Duchess of Kent, who died in September aged 92. The readings will be performed 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 is domestic affection, friendships, love between communities or powerful moments of kindness between strangers.
“The service will celebrate individuals from across the UK who dedicate or volunteer their time to be with others, lead initiatives that bring people in their communities together or lend a helping hand to those around them.”
More than 1,600 people will attend the festival ceremony, including members of the Royal Family including 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, 7. The King and Queen, who will only attend the ceremony in 2022, are not expected to attend.
Attendees will enjoy special musical performances from Hannah Waddingham, Griff, Katie Melua and Cornish folk band Fisherman’s Friends, as well as young artists from Platinum Performing Arts dancing at the Abbey.
The service will also showcase the stories of some of the incredible guests in the congregation who are leading by example and helping to create a more compassionate and connected society, and candles will be lit by people William and Catherine have met in recent years and by people who attended the service.
For the first time since the Princess launched the event in 2021, a live illustrator will draw snapshots of the atmosphere within the Monastery in real time.
Gardener Jamie Butterworth will create a natural, festive environment outside the Abbey, paying tribute to Catherine’s work showing the important role nature plays in protecting our mental health.
When the congregation arrive at the Abbey, they will be greeted by eight young artists aged 13-18 from Future Talent, a charity co-founded by the late Duchess of Kent to support musically talented children from low-income backgrounds.
The former employee, a music teacher from the Royal Family, was buried on September 16 in the first Catholic funeral of a modern member of the Royal Family.
While guests enjoy the performance, they will be transported to a magical wonderland as the entrance is lined with English woodland trees intertwined with berries, berries and Christmas trees.
Inside, gorgeous wreaths donated by the Royal Horticultural Society and florist Simon Lycet will adorn the abbey.
There will also be a ‘Link Tree’ powered by Hobbycraft. Here, guests will be able to add their own names to the paper chain adorning the tree, symbolizing the strength of togetherness and the importance of moments of connection with each other.
As well as the service at Westminster Abbey, fifteen community carol services will take place across the UK throughout December; these include services at Coronation Street Visitor Center in Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester and Paisley Abbey in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire.
As well as the service at Westminster Abbey, fifteen community caroling services will take place across the UK in December for people to come together and celebrate community work over the festive season.
The event will be broadcast as part of Royal Carols: Together At Christmas, a special program broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve and repeated on Christmas Day morning.
