Glad tidings abound from Kensington Palace: Kate Middleton will be hosting her fourth Together at Christmas Carol concert from Westminster Abbey on Friday, December 6. The festive tradition will mark a significant milestone in the Princess of Wales’s return to public duties after finishing her cancer treatment in September.
If previous carol services are anything to go by, it’s likely that Kate will be joined by her family: Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte have been regulars at the annual Christmas concert in Westminster Abbey, and last year Prince Louis made his Together at Christmas debut.
This year’s concert, which will be broadcast as part of a special Christmas Eve program in the UK, is set to be especially personal for the Princess of Wales. Themed around love and empathy, the Palace promises that this year’s festivities will reflect upon “how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives.” The importance of compassion has been on Kate’s mind recently, in a year that has been dominated by her health journey.
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The Princess of Wales reflected upon the difficulties that her young family have faced since her cancer diagnosis in a statement announcing that her chemotherapy had come to an end in September. “The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown,” she admitted.
“This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.”
The Princess of Wales wore a pair of earrings that once belonged to her late mother-in-law.
It is a sentiment that will no doubt be at the heart of Kate’s Christmas Carol concert this December. Supported by The Royal Foundation, the service will take inspiration from the Christmas story, encouraging the 1,600 audience members in Westminster Abbey (and the millions watching on at home) to consider the experiences of others and the vital need for empathy in challenging times.
As always, some of music’s biggest names will gather alongside the royal family to celebrate Kate’s carol concert. The Westminster Abbey choir will lead the congregation in some of the nation’s best loved Christmas songs, and there will be performances from such starry singers as Paloma Faith, Gregory Porter, and Olivia Dean.
Westminster Abbey will be adorned with a Christmas backdrop, with decorations inspired by the natural world—perhaps Prince William, fresh from spearheading his Earthshot Prize Awards in Cape Town—had a say in the interiors.
For those unable to secure a ticket to London’s historic abbey, fifteen Together at Christmas community carol services will take place throughout the UK—from the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro to Blackpool Tower Circus. Hosted by Lord-Lieutenants, these local concerts will be supported by The Royal Foundation.
Kate Middleton’s traditional carol service has fast become a highlight of the royal calendar since its inception in 2021. Last year, the concert was a celebration of the Princess of Wales’ most treasured cause, taking every opportunity to honor the work of those who support children throughout their early years. In 2022, Together at Christmas was a commemoration of the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the year before that sought to foreground the communities of essential workers who stepped up during the Covid-19 pandemic. During that concert in 2021, viewers were treated to a piano duet between the Princess of Wales and musician Tom Walker.
Above all, many will be thankful to see Kate stepping back into her royal role as holiday host. The Princess of Wales has been making a slow return to duty over the past few months. Her engagements have been spaced out, but highly personal: an appearance at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday, a trip to Southport to offer counsel to the family’s of July’s knife attacks, and a meeting with fellow cancer patient Liz Hatton at Windsor Castle in October.
In previous years, Kate Middleton was said to be “nervous” ahead of hosting Together at Christmas. Who can say how the Princess of Wales might be feeling before she steps into Westminster Abbey come December—one thing is certain: millions will be pleased to see her.
This article first appeared on Tatler.
The post Kate Middleton Announces a Milestone Return to Public Duty With a New Video appeared first on Glamour.
