Princess Kate has established her own Christmas tradition over the past few years by hosting a carol concert in the run-up to the holidays. One for this year hasn't officially been confirmed, but details about it have accidentally emerged from a surprising source – the royal family's website.
An announcement on behalf of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester confirmed that the event will be taking place on 8 December. It also revealed that the service will be held in Westminster Abbey once again. A listing in the website's upcoming events section states: "The Duke of Gloucester, The Duchess of Gloucester will attend a Carol Service held by The Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey, London."
The Duke of Gloucester is a first cousin of the late Queen and an active representative of King Charles III, undertaking hundreds of official engagements each year.
Last year, King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were among the guests who attended "Together At Christmas," the second annual carol concert hosted by the Princess of Wales.
Kate and Prince William's two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte also made a surprise appearance, with George and Charlotte sweetly greeting their grandfather the King with two kisses when they crossed paths inside the Abbey. Although Prince Louis didn't attend the concert, he was seen with his family at their annual church visit on Christmas Day at Sandringham, so it's hoped he'll make an appearance this year.
The concert is typically pre-recorded and then broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve. Last year's service was especially poignant as it paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, with a Christmas tree decorated in Paddington Bear decorations in a nod to her surprise appearance with the beloved animated character at her Platinum Jubilee Concert.
Ahead of last year's concert, HELLO! spoke exclusively to London-based illustrator Aurelie Baudry Palmer – the artist behind Kate's festive invitation, who revealed that the Princess had requested a last-minute change in order to honour the late Queen.
© Chris JacksonThe artist revealed: "It was such an honour to be approached by Kensington Palace to illustrate the announcement for the Princess of Wales' carol service at Westminster Abbey. It was definitely a 'pinch-me' moment when they got in touch! This commission was a fairly quick turnaround, and I also wanted to leave plenty of time for feedback - like the addition of corgis!"
Blown away by the positive feedback, Aurelie added: "I'm over the moon my work has been shared so widely, and also to play a small part in such a thoughtful community carol concert.
© Yui Mok/WPA Pool/Shutterstock"I worked on the illustration over three days, filming as I drew and showing the progress to the Kensington Palace's team as I went along to make sure I was on the right track. It certainly took a few hours... a little longer than the beautiful 22-second clip that was put together afterwards."
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One notable absentee from last year's carol concert was Princess Anne who was unable to attend as she had a schedule conflict, instead making an appearance at the London International Horse Show.
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