The Princess of Wales has hosted her annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, with guests including royals, celebrities and local heroes who have helped their communities.

In a festive Abbey, dotted with Christmas trees, the 1,600 guests heard a mix of traditional carols, music and poems from actors such as Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor – and a Bible reading from the pulpit by Prince William.

The theme of the service, held in the candle-lit Abbey, was kindness and showing love to others.

Among the guests were Anna and Jonathan Cordiner, whose daughter died of a brain tumour, and who set up a charity, Kayleigh’s Wee Stars, to support families who have a child with a terminal illness.

Prince William, and the couple’s children George, Charlotte and Louis, were greeted by Catherine outside the Abbey ahead of the service.

Wearing a long green Christmassy coat, Catherine met members of the congregation inside the Abbey, speaking to Holocaust survivor Steven Frank, as well as singer Katie Melua and actor Eugene Levy, who recently interviewed William in what was one of the most open discussions we’ve seen with the prince.

Catherine chatted to Dame Mary Berry, who had helped to make the Christmas wreaths that decorated the medieval Abbey.

The message of this year’s concert was that in a fragmented and disconnected world, small acts of generosity and love can bring people and communities together.

“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,” wrote Catherine, in a letter ahead of the carol service.

The princess has been making her own gradual return to public life after her cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy, last month delivering her first public speech for two years, in which she talked about recognising the “quiet, often invisible work of caring”.

The order of service, with its green ivy design, reflected an interest of Catherine’s, with the quote “Love is enough” from the poetry of William Morris, the Victorian designer and social activist. The princess had admired Morris’s work on a visit to the V&A East Storehouse.

Guests arriving at the Abbey were entertained by young musicians supported by the Future Talent charity, co-founded by the Duchess of Kent to widen access to music lessons.

The duchess, who died in September, had been a primary school music teacher and a great supporter of giving more young people opportunities to play music.

Carys Wood, aged 18, who plays the trumpet and is from Pembrokeshire, has been assisted by the charity, with grants helping towards musical instruments, lessons and travel costs – and she said it was “awesome” to be playing at the Westminster Abbey service.

“Music can be very expensive,” Carys said. She is now studying at the Royal Academy of Music, and added that “everyone should have the opportunity” to develop their musical skills.

When Carys found out about how the duchess had supported music, she said: “I was amazed by what she’d done and that she’d worked as a teacher.”

Carys’s 13-year-old sister, Eliza, who plays the euphonium, also performed. “I never thought I’d be able to play there in front of so many important people,” she said.

“Everyone should have a chance to play music.”

In the middle of the Abbey there was a large crib set, showing the nativity scene, and that provided the setting for a performance by a Cornish sea shanty group, Fisherman’s Friends, who sang a version of I Saw Three Ships.

The guests, with many carers and charity representatives, represented both older and younger generations.

That included Saphia Turner, aged nine, winner of the BBC’s Make a Difference Young Hero Award, who sells artwork and carries out sponsored challenges to raise money for food banks.

D-Day veteran Jack Mortimer, who is 102 years old, also attended.

Among the musical performances were Katie Melua singing White Christmas, Dan Smith singing O Holy Night, Zac Abel sang Silent Night and choristers from Westminster Abbey singing traditional carols, ending with Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.

That wasn’t quite the end.

A hot chocolate was offered on a cold London night to warm up guests, many of whom had travelled a long way for this taste of Christmas.

The Together at Christmas carol concert will be televised and shown on ITV1 on Christmas Eve.

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