Catherine’s carols of hope
The Princess of Wales has plenty to sing about, as she shares details of her Christmas concert
It’s fast become a favourite event on the royal calendar and we’re delighted to see the Princess of Wales will once again host her annual Carol Concert at Westminster Abbey. This year it will focus on, “how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives”.
The Together at Christmas concert will take place on Dec 6 and will be shown on ITV on Christmas Eve. It will reflect the “importance of love and empathy”, with a guest list designed to “shine a light on individuals from all over the UK who have shown love, kindness and empathy towards others in their communities”, according to a statement by The Royal Foundation.
“This year’s service provides a moment to reflect upon the importance of love and empathy, and how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives,” the statement says. Individuals from around the UK who have shown “love, kindess and empathy towards their community,” will be celebrated.
“This year, Her Royal Highness wanted to celebrate the many people supporting those in need – individuals who have inspired, counselled, comforted, and above all else shown that love is the greatest gift we can receive,” the statement says. “This theme takes inspiration from the Christmas story which encourages us to consider the experiences of others and the important human need of giving and receiving empathy.”
It’s expected around 1,600 people will attend, including lots of members of the Royal Family, who traditionally turn out in support, including Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and the Middleton family. There will be musical performances by Paloma Faith, Olivia Dean and Gregory Porter and the decorations will be inspired by nature.
As well as the service in Westminster Abbey, 15 Together at Christmas community carol services will take place all over the country, from the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro to Blackpool Tower Circus.
William voted world’s sexiest bald man – again
We think it’s a compliment... Prince William had the honour of being voted “the world’s sexiest bald man”, for the second year in a row. Not only that, but he beat The Rock, Vin Diesel, Stanley Tucci and Thierry Henry to the top spot. The research compiled by PR agency Reboot Online, put the prince a head above the rest.
To celebrate his triumph (again with the puns), the Prince of Wales hopped on a stunt motorbike and took it for a virtual spin “through the Arizona desert’, at a unit in Ulster University on Thursday. “Any excuse to get on a motorbike!” he said, adding, “I feel like someone needs to take this for a real spin.”
Charles meets a gladiator and Henry VIII
With his 76th celebrations last Thursday, the King was busy on his birthday eve meeting a host of Hollywood and TV stars.
Making a film-star worthy entrance on the red carpet at Leicester Square in his Bentley for the Gladiator II premiere, Charles looked happy to see the stars of the film, chatting to Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and the director Sir Ridley Scott, ahead of sitting down for a screening at the Odeon Luxe cinema.
Earlier in the evening, Charles came face to face with a mighty monarch, Henry VIII aka Damian Lewis (currently starring as the wedding-addicted King in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light, BBC One). At a reception in Buckingham Palace, Damian joked with Charles, “At least you can claim not to be related to him!”
“You are fantastic in it,” Charles told Damian, about the actor’s role in the Hilary Mantel trilogy. Apparently, the King, an ardent history buff, watches the show with Camilla.
Camilla’s on the mend, as TV show garners praise
Although the Queen admitted she was still suffering from a “a bit of a cough” after a recent chest infection, it was good to see Camilla enjoying Charles’ birthday eve.
The Queen also attended the reception to celebrate the centenary of the Film and TV Charity in the music room at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Charles who is patron of the Film and TV Charity.
On Tuesday, she attended a Booker Prize reception at Clarence House, where she congratulated all the shortlisted authors. She told writer Percival Everett, “I think I’m on the mend, but these things always take a bit of time to get rid of.”
Camilla’s week got off to a great start with glowing reviews for her heartfelt TV documentary, Her Majesty The Queen, Behind Closed Doors, that aired on ITV this Monday. The 90-minute film follows Camilla for a year as she raises awareness of the cases of domestic violence against women, plus meeting survivors and activists trying to make a difference.
The other Prince George’s controversial life
If you haven’t listened to our podcast, Secrets of the Royals, yet, check out episode two about the dazzling life and untimely death of Prince George, Duke of Kent. He was a younger brother to Edward VIII and George VI, who died, August 1942, in a plane crash in Scotland. The circumstances surrounding the tragic accident have long been debated and this week, new evidence was unearthed that may help solve the mystery. We took a deep-dive into his life story. Listen here on Substack, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.