Kate Middleton will encourage the world to ‘turn to love, not fear’ as she delivers a highly personal public address to introduce a special programme going behind the scenes at her Together At Christmas carol service this Christmas eve.
The festive broadcast, shown on ITV1 and ITVX, will allow those not among the 1,600 people who joined the Princess of Wales at the service to witness the celebration of love and empathy that took place at Westminster Abbey on 6 December. The event, hosted by Kate Middleton for the fourth time, was seen as a milestone return to duty after her chemotherapy treatment, and saw the Princess of Wales joined by the likes of Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and her own mother and father, Carole and Michael Middleton.
‘Welcome to our Together at Christmas Carol Service here at Westminster Abbey,’ the Princess of Wales will say as she opens the show, with an additional amendment to her letter.
‘Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year, it is a time for presents, tinsel and mince pies, but it’s also a time to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all. It is when we stop and take ourselves away from the pressures of daily life, that we find the space to live our lives with an open heart, with love, kindness and forgiveness, so much of what the Christmas spirit is all about.’
She will continue: ‘The Christmas story encourages us to consider the experiences and feelings of others. It also reflects our own vulnerabilities and reminds us of the importance of giving and receiving empathy, as well as just how much we need each other in spite of our differences.’
In a particularly moving moment, Kate will speak of finding ‘joy and hope’, though the reference to the ‘darkest times’ has been removed for the televised address. ‘Above all else, it encourages us to turn to love, not fear. The love that we show ourselves and the love we show others. Love that listens with empathy, love that is kind and understanding, love that is forgiving, and love that brings joy and hope. It is love which is the greatest gift we can receive, not just at Christmas but every day of our lives.’
The mother-of-three will then gesture to the celebrations occurring all throughout the UK, and describe her own service as a ‘heartfelt celebration for everyone of you, and a reminder that at Christmas, and throughout the year, we must all shine for each other.
‘Because in times of joy and sadness, we are all each other’s light.’
The Princess of Wales will then wish the audiences watching along at home a ‘very merry Christmas’.
Royal Carols: Together At Christmas is set to offer viewers a behind the scenes look at the concert, as well as an opportunity to witness the spectacle itself at Westminster Abbey. The festivities included readings by Prince William, Olympian Adam Peaty, actresses Sophie Okonedo and Michelle Dockery, and actor Richard E. Grant. The Westminster Abbey choir performed some of the nation’s best loved carols, and there were musical performances by the likes of Olivia Dean, Gregory Porter, Paloma Daith, and JP Cooper.
Also delivering a rousing rendition of Away In A Manger were the Sankofa Singers, an intergenerational choir based in Belong Chester, a not-for-profit care village bringing together care home residents and their young friends from The Nursery in Belong, operated by national charity Ready Generations. The ITV1 show will follow the choir, directed by Amanda Wrigley, as they are informed that they have been invited to sing at Kate Middleton’s royal carol service.
Two more special films will showcase two groups who have embodied the service’s spirit of empathy and community service as they receive their invitations to the concert from the Princess. Sherisha, a single mother who set up the Worcestershire Gingerbread Group for single parents, will be surprised with an invitation by Giovanna Fletcher, who has long supported Catherine’s ‘life’s work’ in early years support.
