Small acts of kindness can bring comfort and relief in the bleakest of times, the Duchess of Cambridge has said, and ‘made us realise how much we need each other’ during the pandemic.
Kate’s message of hope comes in a special introduction to her Royal Carols: Together At Christmas one-hour television special which will be broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve at 7.30pm.
New images show her at Westminster Abbey the day before the filming of her carol service, decorating trees sent by the Queen from her Windsor Great Park estate with red ribbon bows.
In the photographs, the mother-of-three, 39, sports a festive red £1,350 cardigan with a white collar from her favourite brand Miu Miu, teamed with black trousers, while opting for a natural make-up look.
Kate devised the service – which proved to be a family affair with several members of the royal family attending – to thank those who have gone above and beyond to support people during the pandemic – and celebrate the small but never insignificant acts of kindness that have been witness across the nation over the last two years.
It has been developed with BBC Studios Events Productions but will be broadcast on ITV. Prince William and Kate reportedly dropped the BBC as the broadcaster for their Christmas special in the wake of the two-part series The Princes and the Press, which was criticised by the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for giving credibility to ‘overblown and unfounded claims’ about the Royal Family.
In her recorded introduction message the Duchess reveals she chose Westminster Abbey for the service because ‘it’s a place that’s really special to William and me’. The couple married there in 2011.
The Duchess’ parents Carole and Michael Middleton, as well as her siblings James and Pippa, were also in attendance at the event.
In her introduction, Kate says: ‘We wanted to say a huge thank you to all those amazing people out there who have supported their communities. We also wanted to recognise those whose struggles perhaps have been less visible too.
‘We have been through such a bleak time. We’ve seen so many challenges. We’ve lost our loved ones. We’ve seen our frontline workers under immense pressure. And also we’ve been more emotionally and socially distanced and isolated from each other.
‘But I suppose through that separation, we’ve also realised how much we need each other and how acts of kindness and love can really bring us comfort and relief in times of distress.
The Together At Christmas carol service was attended by ‘unsung heroes’ from across the UK in recognition of their ‘inspirational’ efforts to protect and care for those around them.
Nominations were drawn from local Lieutenancies, community networks, charitable organisations and patronages of Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Individuals who The Duke and Duchess met and spent time with during their recent engagements and project work were also present, alongside armed forces personnel who were involved in Operation Pitting – airlifting families out of Kabul – young carers and faith leaders.
‘We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for all they’ve done in bringing people together and supporting their communities,’ Kate added.
