Together at Christmas: Star-studded lineup expected at Kate Middleton’s annual carol service including Griff and Katie Melua
Princess Kate will host the fifth annual ‘Together in Christmas’ caroling ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Friday night.
The event will feature performances by singer-songwriters Katie Melua and Griff and Cornish folk band Fisherman’s Friends.
As many as 1,600 guests gather to celebrate love in all its forms, from family and friendship to community spirit and kindness between strangers.
Kate will be accompanied by Prince William, who is scheduled to give a reading at the abbey.
Their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are also expected to attend.
The musical acts will feature a line-up including actor Hannah Waddingham and Dan Smith from pop rock band Bastille.
The service will celebrate people from across the UK who dedicate or volunteer their time to being with others, leading initiatives that bring those in their communities together or lending a helping hand to those around them.
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.
Guests will see candles lit by people William and Kate have met in recent years.
The service will also showcase the stories of some of the guests who are helping to create a more caring and connected society.
Gardeners will be treated to a festive display created by Jamie Butterworth based on the importance of nature in our lives, while the Royal Horticultural Society will donate wreaths made by schoolchildren and its ambassadors, including Dame Mary Berry.
Congregants will be able to add their names to a “connection tree,” symbolizing the power of togetherness and the importance of moments of connection with each other.
Future Talent, the charity founded by the late Duchess of Kent to support musically talented children from low-income backgrounds, will also feature during the ceremony, with a brass orchestra made up of eight young people playing as guests arrive.
Around 15 community caroling ceremonies will also take place across the UK with the same theme of love and togetherness, held at locations including the Coronation Street Visitor Centre, an arts center in Newbury and a community farm in Gwent.
Armagh, Berkshire, Derbyshire, Dumfries, Dyfed, East Riding, Gwent, Greater Manchester, Isle of Wight, Lanarkshire, Nottinghamshire, Renfrewshire & Ayrshire, Suffolk, Wiltshire and Worcestershire are the locations of community services that will be hosted by lord-lieutenants and supported by the Royal Foundation.
The Westminster Abbey service will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve and will be repeated on Christmas Day.
