Celebrities join the Princess of Wales for a carol service to thank Britain’s volunteers

The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children have attended the Together at Christmas carol service where they were joined by Hollywood stars.

But the focus of Kate‘s annual service at Westminster Abbey was the UK’s local communities and the princess took the time beforehand to thank volunteers from across the country.

Her smartly-dressed children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, hung loops of red paper bearing their handwritten names on a “Connection Tree”.

The tree represents togetherness and the importance of moments of connection, and was covered with paper chains, created as each guest left a loop with their name. It tied in with theme of this year’s service which was celebrating love in all its forms.

Kate arrived at the abbey without her family before the service and met some of the stars performing or giving readings, including Hollywood actors Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor and singer Katie Melua.

The royal children were later pictured holding candles with churchgoers during the service.

Among the congregation were Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, her brother James Middleton and wife Alizee Thevenet; Zara and Mike Tindall; the Duchess of Edinburgh; and Prince Michael of Kent, who arrived in a wheelchair.

Celebrity chef Dame Mary Berry, who created a Christmas wreath on display in the abbey, was also among the guests, alongside members of the Lionesses and the Red Roses – England’s women’s football and rugby union teams.

Kate expressed her appreciation to the performers when they met before the service, and she thanked Ms Winslet and Mr Ejiofor, who both later gave readings, and told Cornish folk singers Fisherman’s Friends: “I’m sure you’ll be brilliant, thank you so much.”

The Princess added: “It’s a busy time I know for everybody.”

Kate also shared a joke with Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy at the service.

“I should stand. Lovely to meet you, Catherine,” said Mr Levy, as they continued to hold hands.

“You know my husband very well then,” said Kate.

Mr Levy replied: “I spent a lovely day with your husband.”

Fisherman’s Friends band member Jeremy Brown, who is a lobster fisherman, praised Kate for staging the event, now in its fifth year.

He said: “She does fantastic work for all these people and and we like to think we can just be part of that. If we can make somebody smile, we’re happy to do that.”

Among the community stalwarts invited was Ann Davies, 81, a volunteer cook for almost a decade with the Moses Project, a charity providing mentoring and support for men with past and current addictions to drugs and alcohol.

Ms Davies from Teesside also volunteers as a responsible adult at Middlesbrough police station, supporting vulnerable people who have been arrested.

She said: “The thing about volunteer work is you do it without expecting anything in return, you do it because you love it.”