How to watch Together at Christmas and what can we expect from Kate Middleton's annual carol service this year?

The Princess of Wales hosted her annual carol service again this year and here’s how to watch Together at Christmas when it airs on TV.

The start of the festive season was made even more magical this year when the Princess of Wales’s Royal Carols: Together at Christmas service returned to Westminster Abbey for the fourth time in a row on 6th December. Kate first hosted this heart-warming festive service back in 2020 and for many of us, watching Together at Christmas has now become a part of the festive period we always look forward to. This seasonal event was also one of the biggest appearances of 2024 for the future Queen, who confirmed in September that she had completed her cancer treatment and would be easing back into royal duties.

The focus of this year’s Together at Christmas is especially poignant in light of all she’s been through this year and although only a select group of people attended in person, it will be broadcast as usual for everyone to enjoy. Throughout December Kate revealed more special details about this year’s carol service, including a new Christmas letter that was given to guests, and here is all we know about how to watch Together at Christmas 2024.

How to watch Royal Carols: Together at Christmas 2024

How to watch Together at Christmas 2024 in the UK

If you want to watch this year’s beautiful Together at Christmas carol service then head to ITV1 or ITVX at 7:30pm on 24th December. UK-based viewers will have the option to watch it live on ITV1 or ITVX and will likely be able to catch-up on the service afterwards on ITVX too. If this is the case, then it’s worth bearing in mind that you can no longer stream any of the previous years’ services now, so if you want to watch Together at Christmas, we would recommend doing so during the Christmas period.

Just because Together at Christmas will be airing on Christmas Eve doesn’t mean that it will be filmed then, though. Kate actually hosted the service on Friday 6th December at Westminster Abbey, when it was filmed ready to be broadcast on 24th December.

Although fans won’t get a glimpse of the service until the air-date, we got to see the Princess of Wales, the Prince of Wales, their children, fellow royals and other special guests arriving in their festive best to attend the service. Ahead of the service, the Wales family went to visit the Kindness Tree where they viewed messages hanging from the branches.

The Kindness Tree allowed guests at this year’s Together at Christmas service to dedicate a decoration to someone who has supported them. The children wrote their own and Prince Louis's tribute to his grandparents on his note was utterly adorable and visible in pictures taken at this special occasion.

How to watch Together at Christmas 2024 from anywhere

The festive season is a very busy time of year and a lot of people will be here, there and everywhere seeing loved ones, meaning you might not be at home in the UK when you want to watch Together at Christmas 2024. If you’re going to be abroad or working overseas on Christmas Eve then you can still watch Together at Christmas as you would at home thanks to a VPN. This is a piece of software which allows you to change your IP address to make it look like you're accessing streaming services from any country in the world.

Our sister site, TechRadar, has tested all of the major VPN services and they rate Nord as the absolute best. They say, "It’s compatible with all of your devices, supports most streaming services, and ranks among the fastest. You can even install it on devices like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. So for a one-stop-shop, you can’t go wrong with Express."

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2. Once you've installed your VPN, open the app and select your server location as anywhere in the UK.
3. With your VPN installed and server location set to UK, you can now watch Together at Christmas 2024 online.

Who attended Together at Christmas 2024?

This year’s Together at Christmas carol service was reportedly set to be attended by 1,600 people. Kate shared a tantalising glimpse at the beautiful invitations in an Instagram video in December and Olympic and World Champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, Lindsey Burrow, the widow of the late Rugby League star Rob Burrow and actor Richard E Grant were amongst the attendees.

Also there were performers Paloma Faith, Gregory Porter, JP Cooper and Liv, a volunteer for charity From Me To You which invites people to write letters to friends or family members with cancer or to "donate" a letter to a stranger in hospital. According to the BBC, the Princess of Wales also invited families affected by the attacks in Southport earlier this year to the service.

As expected, plenty of Kate’s family members were at Together at Christmas this year, including Prince William, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis. Her parents Carole and Michael Middleton were also there, as were her sister Pippa, brother James and sister-in-law Alizée.

The King and Queen weren’t at the service, but Duchess Sophie, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and stepson Wolfie all attended. There were also members of the extended Royal Family at Together at Christmas - the late Queen Elizabeth’s cousins the Duke of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent. Prince Michael’s wife Princess Michael of Kent and their children Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Windsor also came, as did Lady Frederick Windsor, her and Lord Frederick’s children, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

What was the focus of Together at Christmas 2024?

Each one of the Princess of Wales’s carol services have a different focus and this year Together at Christmas reflected upon the importance of love and empathy and how much we need each other, especially at the most difficult times of our lives. The Royal Foundation explained that it will "shine a light on individuals from all over the UK who have shown love, kindness and empathy in others in their communities, whether on a personal level with friends and family, through their work or as they selflessly give up their time through volunteering". Each of the guests have, in their own ways, shown how love can help others.

In her moving letter shared on social media on 1st December, which the guests were given, the Princess of Wales echoed this and declared that "love is the light that can shine bright, even in our darkest times".

"We all have something we can offer one another. Gentle words or a receptive ear, an arm around an exhausted shoulder, or silently being by someone’s side," she continued. "Across the United Kingdom, there are so many inspiring people embracing those in need. They have provided comfort, counsel, and connection, and above all else they have shown that love unites and strengthens us all."

"This Carol Service is a heartfelt celebration of every one of you, and a reminder that at Christmas, and throughout the year, we must all shine for each other. Because in times of joy and sadness, we are all each other’s light," Kate concluded.