She also extols the virtues of the Christmas period that reminds us ‘how deeply our lives are woven together’, adding that despite life feeling ‘fragmented or uncertain’ at times, the festive season ‘invites us to remember the power of reaching out to one another’.
In her letter, Kate said: ‘This carol service offers a moment of collective togetherness, a chance to celebrate the spirit of community and service, and to honour the visible and invisible bonds that unite us all.
‘The time, care and compassion you give, often quietly and unspoken, and without any expectation or recognition, make an extraordinary difference to the lives of others.’
Another selfless worker who will join the guests is Ann Davies, a volunteer cook for almost a decade with the Moses Project, a charity providing mentoring and support for men with past and current addictions to drugs and alcohol.
The 80-year-old also volunteers as a responsible adult at Middlesbrough police station, supporting vulnerable people who have been arrested.
Kate also wrote in her letter: ‘Christmas is a time that reminds us how deeply our lives are woven together. Just as the roots of trees share strength beneath the soil, unseen but vital, so too do we.
‘We are drawn by an instinctive pull towards belonging and connection. Even with all the rushing around and familiar traditions, there is a quieter sense of what it calls out in us.
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Pictured: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend the ‘Together At Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey
‘There is a softness to the season that reminds us of something easy to forget; that what we do matters.
‘Our words, our choices, and even the ways we look out for one another – they ripple outward, touching lives we may never see.’
During the event readings linked to the theme of love, compassion and connection will be delivered by Winslet and Ejiofor, comic Babatunde Aleshe and rising actor Joe Locke, with the speakers accompanied by pianist Paul Gladstone Reid.
Among the other guests will be members of England women’s rugby World Cup winning squad – Rosie Galligan, Helena Rowland, Jess Breach and Marlie Packer, a number of the Wales women’s rugby team, including captain Alex Callender and Lioness Michelle Agyemang, a member of England Women’s Euro 2025 winners.
Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody, who recently announced he has motor neurone disease, has been invited, as has Holocaust survivor Steven Frank, who was photographed by Kate in 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust.
The nation’s Second World War veterans are expected to be represented by Jack Mortimer, a corporal with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps who landed on Sword Beach on D-Day and John Eskdale, who saw combat with the Malta Convoys in 1942 and was involved in the invasion of Sicily in the summer of 1943.
Ambassadors and friends of the Royal Horticultural Society, gardener Arit Anderson, florist Simon Lycett and TV presenters Angelica Bell and Tom Allen, who all helped make wreaths on display in the abbey with school children, will also be among the guests.
Guests will see candles lit by people William and Kate have met in recent years and others taking part in the service which 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, 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.
And for the first time an illustrator will be sketching snapshots of the atmosphere inside the abbey, to capture moments as they happen.
The power of love theme was picked because in a world that can often feel fragmented and disconnected, the service will bring people together to celebrate love in all its forms, organisers say.
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 and those guests will also receive Kate’s letter.
The full list of locations for the community services is Armagh, Berkshire, Derbyshire, Dumfries, Dyfed, East Riding, Gwent, Greater Manchester, Isle of Wight, Lanarkshire, Nottinghamshire, Renfrewshire & Ayrshire, Suffolk, Wiltshire and Worcestershire.
These services are which are to be hosted by lord-lieutenants and supported by The Royal Foundation.
The service will air on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day.
