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This is the moment Britons showed their deep affection for the Prince and Princess of Wales as they arrived at Westminster Abbey last night having maintained a dignified silence as Harry and Meghan went to war with them.
There were audible cheers from members of the public outside who shouted ‘Kate, we love you’ and ‘Prince William, we love you’ as they stood in the central London cold to greet the future king and queen.
Inside the Abbey last night, William, watched by the king, George and Charlotte and more than 15 family members, he hailed the ‘spirit of togetherness’ at Christmas in the face of relentless attacks by his younger brother and his actress wife.
The Royal Family members gathered for the dignified display of solidarity hours after Harry and Meghan attacked the institution again and again in their Netflix documentary.
William, Kate, George and Charlotte were cheered and greeted with chants of ‘we love you’ as they stuck to their jobs in the wake of Harry and Meghan’s incessant TV attacks
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have declared war on Buckingham Palace with particular focus on William
Poignantly, William read a passage from the late Queen’s 2012 Christmas message in which Her Majesty said she was ‘always struck by the spirit of togetherness’ at Christmas.
It was a time, she added, ‘when we remember that God sent his only son ‘to serve, not to be served’. Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have said they will not comment on Harry and Meghan’s claims – with the King said to be determined never to watch the six-part series.
A royal source told the Mirror: ‘Some astonishing claims have been made but the family are determined to stick together and maintain a dignified silence. They will not be dragged into a tit for tat row.’
While the palaces have refused to comment on the claims, sources have made clear that there is immense sadness and frustration about the Sussexes’ decision to yet again air family problems in public.
There was no suggestion that William intended the striking message to be contrasted with the example of his own brother, who turned on his family in yesterday’s Netflix series. Indeed it was planned long before the documentary.
The Princess of Wales arriving for the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey in London
Kate chats to a little boy during her Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey in central London on Thursday
Singing from the same hymn sheet: (Front row left to right) King Charles III, the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Princess of Wales and the Countess of Wessex during the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday evening
Prince George of Wales, William, Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales depart to more cheers
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla were all smiles as they left the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey
The Countess of Wessex Sophie leaving Princess Kate’s Christmas carol service on Thursday night
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi depart from the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service on Thursday evening
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank arriving for the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey in London. The couple are close to the Sussexes
Lady Frederick Windsor attends the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey. Spearheaded by Catherine, Princess of Wales, and supported by The Royal Foundation, this year’s carol service is dedicated to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
But it will have resonated with many of the 1,800 guests gathered in the Abbey for the concert, staged to recognise the ‘selfless efforts of individuals, families and communities across the UK, and celebrate and showcase the joy that human connection and togetherness can bring’.
Kensington Palace said the Together at Christmas carol service, the second concert Kate has hosted, was dedicated to the late Queen and the values she demonstrated throughout her life, including ‘duty, empathy, faith, service, kindness, compassion and support for others’.
The palace said these principles were ‘shared and personified by the inspirational guests who have been invited to the abbey in recognition of their tireless work to help and care for those around them’.
A Christmas tree was decorated with small Paddington Bear decorations, a nod to the late Queen’s famous comedy sketch, while guests were greeted with atmospheric snowflakes from a snow machine as they arrived at the entrance.
Kate met and thanked those taking part in the service, including Paddington star Hugh Bonneville and singer Melanie C.
The Waleses were perfectly coordinated, the duchess earing a festive burgundy coat dress believed to be from London-based Eponine, paired with £14 drop ruby earrings from Accessorize and a matching shimmering clutch and gloves, and burgundy heels.
Charlotte, seven, wore a matching £160 burgundy coast from Trotters Heritage, while William donned a complementary shade of navy paired with a matching men’s dress coat and a tie in burgundy.
Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, arrived not long after Kate and was soon joined by Princess Eugenie and Beatrice, who were with their husbands.
Eugenie was seen in the sixth episode of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series, visiting the family at their home in Montecito, California.
Also present was Prince Michael of Kent and his wife Princess Michael. She hit the headlines last week when Netflix revisited the moment she wore a Blackamoor brooch to a Christmas lunch that was attended by Meghan in 2017.
The service will be broadcast on ITV1 on Christmas Eve as part of a Royal Carols: Together At Christmas programme, narrated by Catherine Zeta Jones and featuring an introduction by Kate.
Hours earlier, battle lines were drawn yesterday as Prince Harry accused his brother of ‘bullying’ him and Meghan out of the Royal Family.
In a brutal finale to the pair’s damning Netflix documentary series, he repeatedly attacked William and claimed to have been ‘terrified’ when he was ‘screamed and shouted’ at in a Sandringham showdown.
Harry said his brother authorised aides to brief against him and claimed their father Charles lied to his face at the same meeting. The Queen supposedly failed to intervene because her ‘ultimate mission’ was to protect ‘the institution’.
Harry, 38, suggested the elderly monarch was being manipulated by family members and courtiers for their own ends, thwarting his attempts to meet her to discuss his and Meghan’s plans to quit as working royals.
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment last night, preferring to keep a dignified silence.
Harry’s grandmother the Queen said before her death that ‘recollections may vary’ when it comes to many of the claims from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Harry and Meghan’s final Netflix episodes cover their wedding, leaving the UK and building a new life in the US
Harry and Meghan said that the royals were upset they were ‘better’ at the job, accusing the palace of briefing against them
The Royal Family put on a united front yesterday to attend a recording of the Princess of Wales’s Together at Christmas carol concert, which goes out on December 24.
More than 15 family members – including the King, Queen Consort, William and his two eldest children, George and Charlotte – attended the event at Westminster Abbey to celebrate community champions and highlight the life and legacy of Elizabeth II.
Well-wishers bellowed ‘We love you’ to the embattled family. William read a passage from the Queen’s 2012 Christmas Speech in which she said she was ‘always struck by the spirit of togetherness’ at Christmas.
Harry and Meghan saved their most damaging claims for the final three episodes of the six-part ‘docuseries’, part of a multi-million pound deal with Netflix.
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