The
Princess of Wales is making the final preparations for her now
traditional carol service.
Kate will be
joined by other members of the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey on
December 5 for the fifth annual Together at Christmas.
The latest version confirms the place this special event has as
a brand new Christmas tradition for the Royal Family.
Since 2021, Catherine has organised a special festive
celebration at the Abbey, always with a theme built around
community. In 2025, it is focused on the importance of love and
togetherness and how even the smallest gesture can make a huge
difference to others.
Together at Christmas is just one of a number of new Christmas
events that the Royal Family has developed in recent years. And all
of them have had a warmer, closer connection and taken the
spotlight away from royalty and on to the wider community. It’s an
indication of how the subtle, often overlooked, shifts of royal
events reflect the country around them.
The Royal Family have always played a significant part in
Christmas traditions for the UK, with their annual celebration at
Sandringham and the morning walk to and from church followed by the
much-beloved Christmas Message in the afternoon.
This year, King Charles is poised to deliver his fourth
Christmas Message, following a poignant address in 2022, just
months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
King Charles III delivers
his first Christmas message in 2022 (Victoria Jones / PA Wire /
Handout)
It was Her Late Majesty who first broadcast a message on
television and her wise and calm words at the festive season
cemented the Christmas Day speech as a real tradition, deftly
turning her yearly address into a source of comfort for those
watching at home.
King Charles III’s own first Christmas address was widely
praised. But as well as keeping well established traditions, The
King and his Royal Family are also adding new festivities to their
December diaries. And all are a very welcome addition to the
Christmas calendar.
Queen Camilla’s Christmas
party is a well loved celebration (i-Images / Pool)
Queen Camilla has, for years now, invited sick children to
Clarence House to help her decorate the Christmas tree. Young
children supported by the Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s
Marvellous Children’s Charity are treated to a fun and festive
outing, with cookies, reindeer and a visit from Father Christmas on
the agenda as they help Queen Camilla prepare for the holidays.
Queen Camilla’s warmness is on full display, and she has spoken
before of how her annual Christmas decorating event is the start of
her holidays. Her part in bringing joy to young people who really
need the magic of Christmas is always a poignant reminder of the
true spirit of the season.
Like Queen Camilla’s annual engagement, the Princess of Wales
has also started another festive celebration that is now firmly
cemented as part of the Royal Family’s Christmas. It’s the Carol
Service at Westminster Abbey.
The Princess of Wales held her first Together at Christmas Carol
Service at Westminster Abbey in 2021. Billed as a way to thank
those who went above and beyond for their communities during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Catherine brought together people from all over
the United Kingdom for a special service that was televised on ITV
on Christmas Eve.
Ahead of that first event, Catherine said, “Above all, it’s
about celebrating the goodwill, the acts of kindness, love,
empathy, and compassion to help people come through these difficult
times.”
The Princess of Wales brings
together communities to celebrate Christmas at special carol
services
(Photo Credit: Kensington Palace)
The service in 2022 paid to Queen Elizabeth II and recognised
community leaders throughout the United Kingdom, while the 2023
event focused on the importance of supporting young people across
the country. In 2024, the Princess has chosen the theme of the
importance of love and empathy, and how much we need each other,
especially in the most difficult times of our lives.
Catherine’s Together at Christmas service is becoming a beloved
tradition, a way to look back at the people who are the pillars of
their communities and to celebrate all faiths and none in an
inclusive event. And in 2023, another new tradition started with
regional services being held across the UK to bring together more
people.
And there was more inclusivity on display at Sandringham in 2023
where Queen Camilla’s own children and grandchildren joined her,
The King and the Royal Family for the festive season.
In 2024, the service was particularly special to Kate. She was
still recovering from cancer and told some of the guests that she
had had a year she never could have expected just twelve months
earlier.
The Princess of Wales comes into her
latest carol service in good health and after a year which has seen
her move front and centre for the Royal Family.
With the Royal Family celebrating their firmly established
traditions on Christmas Day, Queen Camilla and the Princess of
Wales are ensuring, with their events, that the Royal Family is
spreading cheer throughout the month of December.