Fifth ‘Together At Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Friday 5th December
Posted by Karen on December 1, 2025, 8:48 am
The Prince and Princess of Wales and other members of the Royal Family will attend the fifth ‘Together At Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Friday 5th December.
Spearheaded by the Princess, and supported by the Royal Foundation, the service will bring people together to celebrate love in all its forms - whether it’s love within families, through friendships, across communities, or powerful moments of kindness between strangers. 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 performers 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, whose reading will be accompanied by pianist Paul Gladstone Reid. Alongside this, candles will be lit by people Their Royal Highnesses have met in recent years and those involved in the service. The service will also showcase stories of some of the incredible guests in the congregation, who are leading by example and helping to create a more caring and connected society.
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. They will be joined by members of the Royal Family and recognisable faces who in their own ways have created and shown love to foster compassion and togetherness. During the service guests will also be joined by a live illustrator, who will be sketching snapshots of the atmosphere inside the abbey in real time.
Acknowledging the importance of nature as a source of connection in our lives, plantsman and horticulturist Jamie Butterworth will be creating a natural, festive environment outside of the Abbey. His designs will see a collection of stunning British woodland trees in their natural winter state, interwoven with fruits, berries and Christmas trees. They will celebrate the beauty of nature at Christmas time and create a magical wonderland for guests from the moment they arrive at the abbey. The living plants and trees will be coming from Form Plants in Weybridge and returning there after the service.
In addition, the Royal Horticultural Society and florist Simon Lycett will be donating wreaths for display inside Westminster Abbey. The wreaths have been made in partnership with RHS ambassadors and schoolchildren including Dame Mary Berry and Arit Anderson, as well as friends of the RHS including comedian Tom Allen and presenter Angelica Bell.
There will also be a ‘Connection Tree’ supported by Hobbycraft, 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 performers aged between 13 and 18 from Future Talent, a charity co-founded by the late Duchess of Kent to support musically gifted children from low-income backgrounds. They will be performing as a brass ensemble specially brought together for the event. Guests will also be treated to mince pies donated by Fortnum & Mason and after the service will have the opportunity to come together and enjoy a hot chocolate, 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. The broadcast, co-produced by BBC Studios Events and the Royal Foundation, will feature two special films which bring to life the stories of people and organisations who have shown love, joy and compassion to others in their times of need.
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 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. Hosted by Lord Lieutenants, and supported by the Royal Foundation, these events will be tailored to their local communities whilst also including elements of the Westminster Abbey service.
The community carol services are taking place in the following locations:
• Armagh – 3rd December, St Patrick's Cathedral
• Greater Manchester – 3rd December, Coronation Street Visitor Centre
• Dumfries – 6th December, St John’s Episcopal Church
• Worcestershire – 7th December, All Saint’s Church
• Nottinghamshire - 8th December, St Mary’s Church
• Lanarkshire – 9th December, Bothwell Parish Church
• Derbyshire – 9th December, St Mary's Church
• Berkshire – 10th December, Arlington Arts Centre
• Suffolk – 10th December, St Endmundsbury Cathedral
• Wiltshire – 11th December, St John's Church
• East Riding – 11th December, City Hall
• Gwent – 11th December, Greenmeadow Community Farm
• Isle of Wight – 12th December, Minster Church of St. Thomas
The Community Carol Services are supported by Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation – who are providing vouchers for hot and cold drinks and festive treats - and Hobbycraft, which is kindly gifting craft sets to all children attending the services, as well as Christmas decorations.
The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales leads with the belief that change is always possible, and this positive approach sees it involved in issues that have previously seemed too big a challenge to many. The Royal Foundation partners with the brightest and boldest minds, working hand in hand with lived experience experts, organisations and groups to create lasting change. Through programmes such as the Centre for Early Childhood, Homewards and United for Wildlife, the Royal Foundation has created partnerships that span the globe, collaborating to make real world impact and tangible change.
Re: Fifth ‘Together At Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Friday 5th December
I will have to wait here in the US, and that will be hard. This is such a wonderful service and I am so happy it's taken off and become part of the Christmas season.