‘Simple acts of kindness got us through the unimaginable’
Duchess praises unsung heroes of lockdown at a special Westminster Abbey Christmas carol service
This time last year, there were no such gatherings. The widower dined alone; the little girl wondered whether Father Christmas was allowed to visit her home.
Last night, the Duchess of Cambridge did her best to make up for those lost moments as she welcomed the unsung heroes of Britain’s coronavirus lockdown into the warm cheer of Westminster Abbey.
Dressed in vivid red and watched by two reindeer, the Duchess ushered in an unmistakably festive feeling for an evening of carols and thanks for the simple acts of kindness guests had performed for family, community, Queen and country.
The “unimaginable challenges” of the past year, the Duchess said, had shown “just how much we need one
‘This service is our small way of recognising the inspiring contribution so many of you have made”
‘Through our separation from others we have been reminded just … how much we need each other’
another”. The evening, she said, was a chance to reflect “the importance of simply being together”.
Joined by her husband, the Duchess hosted 1,200 guests handpicked for their contribution to overcoming the difficulties of the coronavirus lockdowns.
They included a man who dressed as Spider-man to entertain children from outside their closed windows, the six-year-old cancer patient who pulled at the nation’s heartstrings after being photographed for a National Portrait Gallery project, and the soldiers of Operation Pitting.
The Duke and Duchess arrived at Westminster Abbey to the sound of a choir singing Ding Dong Merrily On High, flanked by two placid reindeer.
The Duchess wore a Catherine Walker coat, matching heels and sapphire diamond-fringed earrings on loan from the Queen.
Writing a foreword in the order of service, the Duchess said the pandemic had provided “countless and previously unimaginable challenges”, with lost loved ones, frontline workers “placed under immeasurable pressure” and the “heart-wrenching isolation from those we hold most dear”.
But, she added: “Alongside this, we have seen how communities have come together to support those most in need. And through our separation from others, we have been reminded just how powerful human connection is to us all.
“Just how much we need one another. And how loving and feeling a sense of belonging to one another can provide comfort in tough times. The importance of simply being together.”
She and the Duke had been “so fortunate to meet and spend time with phenomenal people across the country who day-in day-out support individuals and families.
“This carol service is our small way of recognising the inspiring contribution so many of you have made. Christmas is a time when we can reflect on the past, listen to one another, focus on the relationships that nurture us and build our resilience, so we can look forward to a shared brighter future.
“My hope is that this service creates a moment for us to do this together.”
The Duke and Duchess spent around 15 minutes before the service mingling with the heroes who had been invited to the event. The Middleton family showed their support for the Duchess’s night, with parents Carole and Michael, and siblings Pippa and James joining her in the Abbey.
Colonel David Blum, 98, who met the Duchess last month on Remembrance Sunday, beamed after she sought him out.
He said: “My family are far away. I won’t be seeing them at Christmas so I am very grateful to be invited. Kate is very charming.”
The Duchess, wearing a mask inside, was welcomed by other familiar faces including Mila Sneddon, six, who stole her heart after she bravely coped with leukaemia during the pandemic.
Preparing to give a touching reading during the service, the little girl gave the Duchess a twirl of her green sequinned dress before taking her seat behind the royal couple. Mila said afterwards: “She asked me what I was getting from Father Christmas and I told her I wanted a Barbie Dreamhouse.
“I showed her my dress and she said I looked lovely.”
The servicemen and women of Operation Pitting, who helped evacuate 15,000 people from Afghanistan, were also in the audience.
The event will be shown as part of Royal Carols: Together At Christmas, which will be aired by ITV at 7:30pm on Christmas Eve. The broadcast will feature additional content, including an introduction by the Duchess of Cambridge.