The Princess is Festive for Carol Concert at Westminster Abbey – UPDATED

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The Princess of Wales chose a festive red coat by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen for tonight’s Together At Christmas Carol Service.

Kate Mansey of The Times shared this video as the Princess arrived.

The Princess of Wales has arrived at Westminster Abbey for her Christmas carol service – children and husband joining later pic.twitter.com/xJnHu3qRpW

— Kate Mansey (@KateMansey) December 6, 2024

This is the fourth year the Princess has hosted the carol concert at Westminster Abbey. The Abbey also posted a quick video of her arrival this evening.

NOTE: Video contains flash photography 📸

HRH The Princess of Wales arrives ahead of tonight’s Royal Carols at Westminster Abbey. #RoyalCarols #TogetherAtChristmas pic.twitter.com/JpMNFNZltt

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) December 6, 2024

Here is another view as the Princess walks up the Abbey steps.

Now, let’s look at some of the guests arriving. Here you see 100-year-old Bernard Morgan, Ambassador for the Royal British Legion, as he arrived. He is a former RAF sergeant and codebreaker who survived the D-Day landing on Gold Beach.
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Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and his wife, Sarra Kemp. In October, Sir Chris revealed he had prostate cancer, and his life expectancy is two to four years. Not long after that diagnosis, Lady Sarra shared the news that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
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Actress Hannah Waddingham.
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Grammy Award winner Gregory Porter.
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Paloma Faith.
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In this photo, you see James Middleton, his wife, Alizee Thevenet, and Pippa Middleton Matthews.
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Here you see the Princess’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.
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The Duke of Kent.
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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
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Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
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Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor arriving with their daughters, Maud and Isabella. Lord Frederick is Prince and Princess Michael’s son.
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Prince and Princess Michael’s daughter, Lady Gabriella (center), and the Duke and Duchess of Kent’s daughter, Lady Helen (left).
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Zara Tindall, along with Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and stepson, eight-year-old Wolfie. The couple is expecting their second child in the spring.
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The Duchess of Edinburgh as she was welcomed to the Abbey tonight.

As people arrived, the Princess spoke with performers and guests. Here you see her with the D-Day veteran Bernard Morgan.

The RAF veteran’s thoughts on being at the concert are shared via this Daily Mail story.

‘I am very grateful to be invited, and I am honoured to light a candle on behalf of all the amazing volunteers at the Royal British Legion who give up their time to support veterans like me.

‘I am always keen for the younger generation to know exactly what went on during the War and to appreciate the sacrifice that our lads made so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.

‘Being able to continue to tell my story at 100 is wonderful and I am grateful to the Princess of Wales and the Royal British Legion for giving me the opportunity to do that.’

The Princess with Sir Chris Hoy.

In this image, she is chatting with some of the youngsters performing tonight.

Here, you see her with Gregory Porter, who will perform “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

Chatting with a young man who looks like he may be a Scout.

The Princess with Olivia Dean (pale blue), who will sing “The Christmas Song” tonight, and Paloma Faith (red). Ms. Faith is performing the song “This Christmas” during the concert.

More from this ITV News article.

She turned to Faith, in a red dress, and singer-songwriter JP Cooper, who wore a similar coloured coat, and smiled as she said: “It’s a celebration, everybody’s wearing red.”

Faith joked about her eight-year-old daughter who said, when told her mother was leaving home to sing for a princess: “Are they going to chop your head off?” The singer and Kate laughed as the performer said: “I don’t think they do that anymore.”

The Princess and two youngsters attending tonight’s event.

More on some of the other guests at tonight’s concert via this Daily Mail piece.

…members of the Southport community affected by this summer’s tragic stabbing, including children who survived the attack and the families of the three little girls who died.

Travelling from Yorkshire is the family of inspirational Liz Hatton, who was invited to Windsor by the prince and princess in October to help complete a photography ‘bucket list’.

The last group to arrive: Prince William and the Wales children.

The Princess went outside to join her husband and children. On their way into the Abbey, guests could leave messages on a ‘Kindness Tree,’ dedicating decorations to those providing support and love, underscoring the importance of kindness and empathy. Here, you see the Wales children as they were getting ready to hang their messages on the tree.

Another view.

The Mirror’s Johnny Goldsmith shared what was written on Prince Louis’ message.

The sweet words on the card held by Prince Louis as he walks into Westminster Abbey https://t.co/rdX8c3P5Gm

by @ianvogler pic.twitter.com/4EEflLARCA

— Johnny Goldsmith (@MirrorJohnny) December 6, 2024

If unable to decipher the handwriting, the message reads, “Thank you to granny and grandpa because they have played games with me.”

The Wales family is welcomed to the service. You can see how well the boys’ ties match the red in the Princess’s coat and how Prince William’s tie coordinates with Princess Charlotte’s coat.

The Abbey looked festive and inviting—more on the decor from The Mirror’s live blog covering tonight’s event.

Christmas trees inside and outside the abbey were from Windsor Great Park and donated by the King.

Festive wreaths adorned with red ribbons and bows were made and donated by Fantasy Greens, a UK-based company, and the abbey was transformed with a Christmassy red-and-green colour scheme.

More on the theme for tonight’s concert taping via this Express story.

Love is the light that can shine bright, even in our darkest times,” Kate wrote in a letter to the 1,600 guests invited to the Westminster Abbey concert on Friday.

It highlights the themes of her Together at Christmas Carol Service, which are kindness, love, empathy, and being there for each other through tough times.

Here is an image of the program cover.

Charlie Mackesy did the illustration. More from this Express story.

Mr Mackesy’s beautiful illustrations and inspirational quotes have provided comfort to people around the world, especially during difficult times.

In 2019, he published his book ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ which highlights the importance of kindness and friendship to us all. It was adapted into a short film in 2022, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Short.

The Queen chose to open her book club, the Queen’s Reading Room, with Mr Mackesy’s book when she launched the venture during lockdown. He has since attended several engagements with her, and Camilla sent her congratulations after his Academy Award win in 2023.

After being seated, it was time for everyone to light their candles. You can just see Princess Charlotte’s black bow, which echoed the bow at her mother’s neckline.

Another view.

The service began with the Very Reverend Dr. David Hoyle KCVO MBE, the Dean of Westminster, welcoming the congregation. Prince William read the first Lesson tonight, Isaiah 9:2, 6-7. Actress Michelle Dockery read “Reflections on Empathy and Kindness.” Then everyone stood to sing “Oh Come All Ye Faithful.”

There were many other performances, including one by the Royal Ballet and students from the Royal Ballet School. The program airs on ITV and ITVX on Christmas Eve.

And now for a few photos of people as they left tonight’s service, beginning with the Middleton family.
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Zara Tindall looks terrific in wine velvet separates by Veronica Beard, the designer’s Ellette Dickey Jacket, and Lebone Trousers.
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The Duchess of Edinburgh is wearing Isabel Marant’s Loyana Jacket and the Berenjena dress by Matelier Design.

Princess Beatrice wears a coat by Hobbs London atop a ME+EM dress, and she carried an Aspinal bag.

Pippa Matthews wears a past-season Karen Millen design, per Kate Middleton Styled on Instagram. She is carrying a bag favored by her sister, the Emmy London Natasha in burgundy velvet.

And now for our look at what Kate wore for tonight’s concert.

She was in a vibrant red coat that very much looks like the Alexander McQueen design worn several times before. We first saw it for the October 2020 Hold Still community launch; it was worn again in December 2020 as a royal train tour concluded; it made another appearance in November 2022 at a rugby match.

If you noted the scarf worn in Cardiff in the center photo (and the skirt peeking out beneath the coat), you’ll recognize the skirt worn today. It is the Emilia Wickstead design initially seen at the December 2018 Christmas party.

UPDATE 7PM: Middleton Maven pointed out that Beulah London sells a velvet bow that is similar to the one worn by the Princess tonight. The Bow in Black Velvet ($85) comes with a hair clip and looks like it could easily be adapted for wear as seen tonight on the Princess. It may not be the same bow at all, but it certainly looks similar.

UPDATE 12/10: It turns out the bow is from Jigsaw, per a Rebecca English story in the Daily Mail. It is called the Velvet Bow Hair Clip ($25). It comes in the black velvet worn by the Princess as well as a festive burgundy color. Thank you to Rebecca English .

We saw the return of the Ralph Lauren Collection High Heel Boots in black suede. (These were also worn during the Cardiff visit in 2020.) They have a sharply pointed toe, 3″ heel, and full-length zipper.

The Princess wore a new pair of earrings by Mulberry, the British retailer’s Amberley Baroque Pearl Earrings ($224).

The hardware for the earrings uses the silhouette of Mulberry’s iconic Rider’s Lock, which is done in gold-plated brass. Thank you to UFO No More and Middleton Maven for this ID.

The Princess also brought back one of her Halcyon Days bangle bracelets. It could be her Salamander Torque style in Forget-Me-Not, but it’s tough to say for sure because I didn’t find many photos showing the stones in the bracelet.UPDATE:A friend shared a photo and it is the Forget Me Not, definitely.

Thanks for ID assistance today goes to UFO No More, Kate Middleton Style, Remoulade Sauce, and Royal Fashion Police.

Now for Princess Charlotte’s look. She appears to be in a Trotters design she has worn before, the brand’s Burgundy Classic Coat ($298), a double-breasted style. It has all of the signature design elements one expects from this brand: a piece made in 100% wool, top-stitching details on the collar and pocket flaps, self-covered buttons, and more. The only thing I noticed is that the Princess’s coat has four rows of buttons as opposed to the three rows shown in the product photo. It’s possible additional length was added to the garment along with another row of buttons because of her height. I will check. For those fond of the look but hoping for something at a lower price point, on the right, I show the Edgehill Collection Girls’ Dressy Coat ($68) as sold at Dillard’s.

I have a commitment tonight and will look at what the young Princes wore tomorrow. Until then, I’ll leave you with one of my (many) favorite photos from the evening, the Princess and her youngest child.

UPDATE#2: Several readers wondered about the identity of the gentleman you see behind Prince Louis in photos from the service. That is George Gilman, the husband of Lady Rose Gilman, the youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Thank you to Caroline for her comment sharing this information!

NOTES:

If I see any links to the carol concert on ITV, I will share them here on the post and on Facebook. If I recall correctly, last year, people put up bootleg copies of the program, and they were taken down almost immediately.
My good friend Carly from Kate Middleton Style had a calamity occur: after 12 years on the site, Facebook took down her Kate Middleton Style page. They allege she was imitating a real person. (Ah, Facebook, after twelve years….? Really?!) But poof – it’s gone, along with her 100,000+ followers. If anyone is interested in following Carly’s new page, here is a link.