The Princess of Wales hosted her fifth annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey yesterday, with guests including Royals and celebrities, bringing festive cheer to local heroes, whom the event celebrated.
In the Abbey, which was decorated with Christmas trees, 1600 guests heard traditional carols, music and poems from Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor, as well as a Bible reading from Prince William.
The service has become an annual fixture in the royal calendar, since the pandemic, and has proved popular with royal fans and the nation.
The theme of the service this year was kindness and showing love to others, sharing the idea that small acts of generosity and love can bring people together in a disconnected world.
This was represented with a Connection Tree, on display inside, reminding guests of togetherness and the importance of moments of connection. It was covered with paper chains which were created as each guest left a loop, with their name.
Dressed in a long green coat, Catherine met guests inside the historic church, speaking to singer Katie Melua, actor Eugene Levy (to whom William recently gave a very candid interview) and Holocaust survivor Steven Frank.
She also chatted to Dame Mary Berry, who helped make the wreaths that decorated the Abbey.
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On arrival at the Abbey, guests were entertained by young musicians supported by the Future Talent charity, which was co-founded by the late Duchess of Kent to widen access to music lessons.
Carys Wood, 18, from Pembrokeshire, plays the trumpet and has been assisted by the charity. She was able to get grants towards musical instruments, lessons and travel costs, she said it was ‘awesome’ to be playing at Westminster Abbey. Her sister Eliza, 13, who plays the euphonium, also performed.
Carys is now studying at the Royal Academy of Music and believes ‘everyone should have the opportunity’ to develop their musical skills.
Other members of the extended Royal Family joined for the event, including The Duchess of Edinburgh, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, a wheelchair-using Prince Michael of Kent, Mike and Zara Tindall, Lady Sarah Chatto, Lady Helen Taylor, and Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor, along with members of the Middleton family.
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There was a crib set in the middle of the Abbey, showing the nativity scene and was the setting for a performance by Fisherman’s Friends, a Cornish sea shanty group, who sang a version of ‘I Saw Three Ships’.
The guests – many of whom were carers and charity representatives – represented both young and older generations. One of these guests included Saphia Turner, aged nine, the winner of BBC’s Make a Difference Young Hero Award. Saphia sells artwork and carries out sponsored challenges to raise money for foodbanks. Jack Mortimer, a 102 year old D-Day Veteran also attended the service.
Additionally in the congregation were Anna and Jonathan Cordiner, who set up the charity Kayleigh’s Wee Stars, after their daughter died of a brain tumour, to help other families with children who have terminal illnesses.
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Catherine wrote in a letter ahead of the carol service to guests: ‘The time, care and compassion you give, often quietly and unspoken, and without any expectation or recognition, make an extraordinary difference to the lives of others’.
During the service, Dan Smith sang ‘O Holy Night’, Katie Melua performed ‘White Christmas’, and ‘Silent Night’ was sang by Zac Abel. These were supported by Westminster Abbey choristers, who sang traditional carols and ended with ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’.
Catherine and William’s children, George, Charlotte and Louis, who again attended the carol service, left their own red loops for the Connection Tree.
At the end of the service, hot chocolate was offered to warm up guests, many of whom had travelled a long distance to the capital.
The ‘Together at Christmas’ carol service will be televised and shown on ITV1 on Christmas Eve in the UK.
