The Princess of Wales has a love-ly reason to celebrate Christmas this year: her annual Together at Christmas programme returns next month for a carol service dedicated to love in all its forms.
On 5 December, Catherine will be joined by her family and community members, both famous faces and those nominated to be invited by their local communities, to celebrate love and togetherness.
Love, “whether it’s love within families, through friendships, across communities, or even through powerful moments of connection with strangers,” will be the main theme, according to Kensington Palace, along with the “transformative power of investing in one another with compassion, presence, and joy.”
Together at Christmas will recognise people around the United Kingdom acting with love within their communities. The Princess of Wales has chosen to invite people who either dedicate or volunteer their time to helping others, showing kindness and empathy in their communities, and work to bring their communities together.
“In a world that can often feel fragmented and disconnected, love is the force that reconnects us all – spanning generations, communities, cultures and faiths,” Kensington Palace shared. “As we approach the Christmas season, we are reminded of the power of togetherness.”
Oscar winner Kate Winslet, Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, actress and singer Hannah Waddingham and singer-songwriter Dan Smith are among the big names who will take part in the ceremony with readings and musical performances.
The Westminster Abbey Choir will sing carols during the service, and as guests enter the Abbey, they will be treated to musical performances by musicians from Future Talent, a charity co-founded by the late Duchess of Kent after she stepped back from royal duties.
The Princess of Wales’s love of nature will also feature prominently at Westminster Abbey, as Jamie Butterworth, a plantsman and horticulturalist, will create a festive and natural environment outside the Abbey; and the Royal Horticultural Society will provide wreaths created by their Ambassadors and schoolchildren.
In addition to Westminster Abbey’s carol service, fifteen community carol services will take place around the United Kingdom in Armagh, Berkshire, Derbyshire, Dumfries, Dyfed, East Riding, Gwent, Greater Manchester, the Isle of Wight, Lanarkshire, Nottinghamshire, Renfrewshire & Ayrshire, Suffolk, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire.
The Princess of Wales has hosted Together at Christmas every year since 2021 and recognises the people who support their communities under a different theme each year.
In the first year, frontline healthcare workers were spotlighted amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the service was dedicated to the late Queen Elizabeth II and her lifetime of service; in 2023, the focus was on children and the early years and those who help young people; and in 2024, the theme was compassion and those who help their communities.
Together at Christmas will air on Christmas Eve and repeat on Christmas morning on ITV and ITVX.
