Princess of Wales lines up A-listers for annual carol service

The Princess of Wales will bring festive cheer to Westminster Abbey next week with the help of a slew of celebrity supporters.

With readings by the likes of Kate Winslet, performances by Hannah Waddingham and Bastille’s Dan Smith - and even the wreaths made by Dame Mary Berry - Catherine’s annual ‘Together at Christmas’ carol service will start the royals’ Christmas celebrations in style.

Members of the Royal Family will join the princess at the event billed as a ‘celebration of love’.

Prince William will be giving a reading and the couple are expected to be accompanied as usual by their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis for the fifth annual event.

Spearheaded by the Princess, and supported by her and William’s philanthropic arm, The Royal Foundation, the service will bring people together to celebrate love in all its forms - whether it is ‘love within families, through friendships, across communities, or powerful moments of kindness between strangers’.

In particular, the service will celebrate individuals from across the UK who may have dedicated or volunteered their time to be present with others, led initiatives that bring people in their community together, or offered a helping hand to those around them.

Combining traditional and modern elements to encompass people of all faiths and none, the service will see the world-renowned Westminster Abbey choir sing some of the nation’s most beloved carols, alongside musical performances from Hannah Waddingham, Dan Smith, Griff, Katie Melua and Cornish folk music group, Fisherman’s Friends.

Guests will also enjoy a special performance by young talent from Platinum Performing Arts, an organisation based in the heart of the community in Edmonton, North London.

During the service, poignant readings linked to the theme of love, compassion and connection will be delivered by speakers including the Prince of Wales, Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Babatunde Aléshé and Joe Locke, who will be accompanied by pianist Paul Gladstone Reid.

Candles will be lit by people William and Catherine have met in recent years and those involved in the service.

On the night, Westminster Abbey will be filled with 1,600 people from across the country, ‘connected by the love and compassion which binds us all at Christmas and all year round’.

During the service guests will also be joined for the first time by a live illustrator, who will be sketching snapshots of the atmosphere inside the Abbey in real time. The pictures will be shared publicly at a later date.

Horticulturist Jamie Butterworth will be creating a natural, festive environment outside of the Abbey with a collection of stunning British woodland trees in their natural winter state, interwoven with fruits, berries and Christmas trees.

It will create a magical winter wonderland for guests from the moment they arrive at the Abbey.

The living plants and trees will be returned to Form Plants in Weybridge after the service.

The Royal Horticultural Society and florist Simon Lycett will also be donating wreaths for display inside Westminster Abbey.

They have been made in partnership with schoolchildren and RHS supporters including Dame Mary Berry and Arit Anderson, comedian Tom Allen and presenter Angelica Bell.

There will also be a Hobbycraft ‘Connection Tree’ at which guests will be able to add their own named loop onto a paper chain adorning the tree, symbolising the power of togetherness and the importance of moments of connection with one another.

On arrival at the Abbey, guests will be welcomed with music by eight young teenage performers aged from Future Talent, a charity co-founded by the late Duchess of Kent to support musically gifted children from low-income backgrounds.

Guests will also be treated to mince pies donated by Fortnum & Mason and after the service will enjoy a hot chocolate together provided by The Royal Foundation.

The event will be broadcast as part of Royal Carols: Together At Christmas, a special programme airing on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve, with a repeat showing on Christmas Day morning.

Following the service, congregational candles from Westminster Abbey will be donated to the Church Candle Challenge, a recycling candle initiative based in St. Peter’s Church in Prestbury, Cheshire.

Alongside the main service at Westminster Abbey, fifteen community carol services will be taking place around the UK across December to provide a moment for people to come together and celebrate community work during the festive season as far afield as Manchester, Gwent and th