The Princess of Wales is set to host her fifth annual ‘Together at Christmas’ carol service at Westminster Abbey, featuring performances from singer-songwriter Katie Melua, Cornish folk group Fisherman’s Friends, and rising star Griff.
The event will gather 1,600 guests to celebrate love in its many forms, from family and friendships to community spirit and kindness among strangers.
A new element this year will see an illustrator capturing live snapshots of the Abbey's atmosphere on 5 December.
Kate will be accompanied by her husband, Prince William, who is scheduled to give a reading.
Royal fans are also anticipating an appearance from their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, alongside other members of the royal family.
Melua, Fisherman’s Friends and Griff will perform on a roster also featuring actor Hannah Waddingham and Dan Smith from pop rock band Bastille.
The service will celebrate people from across the UK who may have dedicated or volunteered their time to be present with others, led initiatives that bring those in their community together, or offered a helping hand to those around them.
During the event, readings linked to the theme of love, compassion and connection will be delivered by Hollywood stars Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor, comic Babatunde Aleshe and rising actor Joe Locke, with the speakers accompanied by pianist Paul Gladstone Reid.
Guests will see candles lit by people who William and Kate have met in recent years.
The service will also showcase the stories of some of those invited, who are helping to create a more caring and connected society.
They will be greeted by a festive display created by horticulturist Jamie Butterworth based on the importance of nature in our lives, while the Royal Horticultural Society is set to donate wreaths made by their ambassadors, including Dame Mary Berry, and schoolchildren.
The congregation will be able to add their names to a “connection tree” symbolising the power of togetherness and the importance of moments of connection with one another.
The late Duchess of Kent’s charity Future Talent, which she co-founded to support musically gifted children from low-income backgrounds, will also feature during the service with a brass ensemble of eight teenagers playing as guests arrive.
Some 15 community carol services, held in places including the Coronation Street Visitor Centre, an arts centre in Newbury and a community farm in Gwent, are also set to take place across the UK with the same love and togetherness theme.
Armagh, Berkshire, Derbyshire, Dumfries, Dyfed, East Riding, Gwent, Greater Manchester, Isle of Wight, Lanarkshire, Nottinghamshire, Renfrewshire & Ayrshire, Suffolk, Wiltshire and Worcestershire are the locations for the community services which are to be hosted by lord-lieutenants and supported by The Royal Foundation.
The Westminster Abbey service is to air on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve and will be repeated on Christmas Day.
