During a special carol concert at Westminster Abbey on Thursday night, Prince William paid tribute to the late Queen, quoting her love of ‘the spirit of togetherness at Christmas,’ just hours after Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series launched an unprecedented attack on the Royal Family, accusing the King of ‘lying’ and the Prince of Wales of’screaming’ at his brother.
At the Together At Christmas event William read a line from the late Queen’s 2012 Christmas address, in which Her Majesty stated that she is ‘always struck by the spirit of togetherness’ during the festive season. It was a time, she added, ‘when we remember that God sent his only son ‘to serve, not to be served’.
There was no indication that William intended the powerful message to be paired with his brother’s betrayal in Thursday’s Netflix series. It was planned long before the controversial documentary.
But it will have resonated with many of the 1,800 guests assembled in the Abbey for the performance, organized to commemorate the ‘selfless efforts of individuals, families and communities across the UK, and celebrate and showcase the joy that human connection and togetherness can bring’.
The Together At Christmas carol performance, Kate’s second concert, was devoted to the late Queen and the virtues she displayed throughout her life, including ‘duty, empathy, faith, service, kindness, compassion and support for others’.
The palace claimed these beliefs were ‘shared and represented by the remarkable guests who have been invited to the Abbey in honour of their relentless commitment to support and care for those around them.
A Christmas tree was decked out with little Paddington Bear figures, a homage to the late Queen’s famous jubilee comedy routine, and guests were met with dramatic snowflakes from a snow machine as they entered.
For a beaming Kate, who was the first to arrive soon before 4.20pm, the occasion was business as usual. She subsequently re-emerged to walk with her family, giving a comforting hand on Prince George’s back as he entered the ceremony hand-in-hand with his sister Princess Charlotte and father the Prince of Wales – while spectators shouted: ‘Kate and William we love you!’.
King Charles and his wife Camilla arrived shortly after. The monarch appeared unmoved by the Sussexes’ assaults on The Firm earlier that morning, as he smiled and spoke with clergymen before taking his place inside the chapel.
The King, Queen Consort, Prince of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Princess of Wales, and Countess of Wessex were photographed front and center at the concert, holding candles and singing from the same hymn sheet – a defiant message in the face of Harry and Meghan’s new allegations, which had been streamed to billions of potential viewers worldwide at 8am on Thursday.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Princess Eugenie and Beatrice, who were with their spouses, arrived not long after Kate. Eugenie was spotted in the sixth episode of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix show today, paying a visit to the family in Montecito, California.
During the event, William delivered an excerpt from the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas address from 2012.
More than 1,800 people were gathered in the abbey for the performance, organized to honor the ‘selfless efforts of individuals, families and communities across the UK, and celebrate and showcase the joy that human connection and togetherness can bring’.
The second carol service Kate has given is devoted to the late Queen and the virtues she displayed throughout her life, including ‘duty, empathy, faith, service, kindness, compassion and support for others’.