WITHOUT CATHERINE! WILL THE PRINCESS OF WALES BE AT A VERY IMPORTANT SIGNIFICANT ROYAL EVENT FOR CHRISTMAS ?
Kensington Palace announced that the Princess of Wales will once again be hosting a Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey.
COURTESY KENSINGTON PALACE
Kate Middleton’s Christmas carol service is back!
Kensington Palace announced today that the Princess of Wales will host the special service at Westminster Abbey on Friday, December 8, for the third year in a row. According to the Palace, “this year, the service will be a moment to thank all those who work to support babies, young children and families in our communities across the UK and a celebration of the golden opportunity that the birth of a new baby brings.”
In the photograph (above) that accompanied the announcement of the Christmas service, Kate smiles next to a Christmas tree. The Princess is wearing Holland Cooper’s Fairisle Knit sweater—it’s clearly a favorite, as she’s reworn the knit numerous times.
Last year’s Christmas carol service was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth, whereas the first year that Kate hosted this event honored those who “have stepped up to support their communities through the pandemic.”
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Fans of the royal family are intrigued by the preparations for the Earshot Prize environmental award ceremony and the opening of Parliament. Prince William of Wales will host the ceremony in Singapore on the same day that King Charles III opens Parliament for the first time as monarch. The momentous occasion is expected to be a beautiful and solemn ceremony attended by senior members of the royal family. However, many are wondering whether Princess Catherine of Wales will accompany the King and Queen, as it is rumoured that Queen Camilla allegedly believes that the public’s attention will be directed towards the Princess of Wales rather than the opening of Parliament.
Interestingly, in the past, courtiers have been careful to ensure that the senior members of the royal family do not overshadow each other by attending different events on the same day. However, this time Prince William will be presenting awards to the winners of environmental competitions while King Charles III will be giving his speech in Westminster, which could result in Princess Catherine missing both events.
While Charles’ first opening of Parliament as monarch will undoubtedly be an event steeped in tradition, it is still unclear whether Catherine will attend. Traditionally, the late Queen Elizabeth II was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip before his retirement, as well as Charles and his wife (both former and current) and other family members.
It was announced that Princess Catherine will not accompany her husband to the Earshot Prize in Singapore as she has decided to stay at home with their son Prince George, who will be taking his school exams at the time. As for the opening of Parliament, no official announcement has been made. However, palace insiders have once again started to speculate that the King’s wife allegedly does not want the media attention to focus on the Princess of Wales rather than Their Majesties. Discussions about the Princess’s tiara and outfit are quite expected, and rumour has it that Queen Camilla feels it will detract from the ceremony.
Interestingly, Princess Diana has been in a similar situation before when she attended the opening of Parliament with other members of the royal family in 1984. At that time, she had long hair and her stylist chose an elegant hairstyle for the occasion. What was surprising was that the media and public attention was focused solely on Diana’s hairstyle and not on the event itself. The royal family took notice and Princess Margaret warned Princess Diana that she should not outshine the Queen.
In an interview, Diana’s hairdresser Richard Dalton said that she was always surprised by the interest in her hair. Princess Diana did not expect to attract so much attention and was shocked by newspaper articles devoted solely to her hairstyle. Subsequently, Diana made a conscious decision to opt for low-key looks when appearing alongside the Queen so that Elizabeth II would remain the centre of attention.
Courtiers tell us that the current Queen Camilla has similar expectations of the current Princess of Wales. Journalists often devote many publications to Catherine because her actions evoke a more lively response from readers. The situation is also interesting in that there is an ongoing debate around tiaras as to their appropriateness on certain occasions, with Camilla having more freedom to choose her tiaras than Catherine.
Charles III is expected to wear the monarch’s crown during the opening of Parliament, while Camilla is likely to wear Queen Mary’s crown, which she wore at her coronation. In the last years of her life, Queen Elizabeth II refrained from wearing a heavy crown due to her age and ill health, preferring to wear a coat and hat. The crown lay on a table next to the throne, resting on a red velvet cushion.
practitioners, nursery teachers and community volunteers.” In attendance, as well, will be members of the royal family—last year, Kate was joined by Prince William and their two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, along with King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and various other Windsors.
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Like previous years, the event will be filmed, and air as part of a special program on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve.
