The Duchess of Cambridge has recorded a special message ahead of her Christmas carol service and her focus is on those who need support and the people who have helped their communities through the many challenges of the pandemic.
The message was recorded at Westminster Abbey on December 7th 2021, the day before Kate welcomed hundreds of guests for the service. Royal Carols: Together at Christmas was spearheaded by the Duchess who wanted to thank those who had supported others during recent difficult times as well as celebrate acts of kindness shown across the UK as the pandemic took hold. It will be shown in the UK on Christmas Eve.
Speaking ahead of the event, the Duchess says ”I’m so excited to be hosting Together at Christmas here at Westminster Abbey, a place that’s really special to William and me. We wanted to say a huge thank you to all those amazing people out there who have supported their communities.”
She goes on to recognise that the hardships of the past months remain very real to many, saying ‘‘we also wanted to recognise those whose struggles perhaps have been less visible too.”
Reflecting on the impact of the pandemic, the Duchess of Cambridge continues ”we’ve been through such a bleak time. We’ve seen so many challenges. We’ve lost our loved ones. We’ve seen frontline workers under immense pressure. And we’ve also been more emotionally and socially distanced and isolated from each other. But I suppose through that separation, we’ve also realised how much we need each other and how acts of kindness and love can really bring us comfort and relief in times of distress.”
The guests at the concert included people nominated by charities, community organisations and Lord Lieutenants for their work to help others during the past months as well as some of those that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have met on their engagements around the UK to show support as the pandemic continues. Kate says of them ”we owe them a huge debt of gratitude for all they’ve done in bringing people together and supporting their communities.”
And touching on the idea of saying thank you with a concert, the Duchess adds ”music was so important for me during the pandemic as I think it was to so many people, too.”
She ends by highlighting the reason she organised the special service, saying ”it’s about celebrating the goodwill, the acts of kindness, love empathy and compassion to help people come through these difficult times.”
As her message was released, Kate was also shown helping to decorate Westminster Abbey with Christmas trees donated by The Queen for the event.
Royal Carols: Together at Christmas will be broadcast in the UK on Christmas Eve at 7.30pm on ITV1.
