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

The Princess of Wales will be hosting her annual carol service again this year and here’s how to watch Together at Christmas.

To the delight of fans across the world, the Princess of Wales confirmed in November that Royal Carols: Together at Christmas would be returning for the fourth time this December. She first hosted this heart-warming festive service back in 2020 and for many of us it’s now become a much-looked-forward to part of the Christmas period. This seasonal event will also be one of the biggest appearances of the year so far for Kate after she 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 in 2024 and although only a select group of people are invited to attend in person, it will be broadcast as usual for everyone to enjoy. Over the past few weeks Kate has revealed more special details about this year’s carol service, including a new Christmas letter that will be given to guests, and here is all we know so far 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 Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without watching the Princess of Wales’s festive carol service then you need to head to ITV1 or streaming service ITVX to watch Together at Christmas 2024 as it will be broadcast there on 24th December at 7:30pm. This follows the pattern established in previous years and the Princess of Wales herself officially announced that Royal Carols: Together at Christmas will be shown on TV on Christmas Eve in a sweet video posted on social media.

UK-based viewers will have the option to watch Together at Christmas live on ITV1 or to stream it at a time of their choosing via ITV’s streaming service ITVX. It will be available to stream for a limited period of time on ITVX, though as you can no longer stream any of the previous years’ services now, if you want to watch Together at Christmas, we would recommend doing so during the Christmas period itself to be completely safe.

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

Although fans won’t get a glimpse of the service until the air-date, we do usually get to see the Princess of Wales, the Prince of Wales, their fellow royals and other special guests arriving in their festive best to attend the service on the day it’s filmed.

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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3. With your VPN installed and server location set to UK, you can now watch Together at Christmas 2024 online.

Who will attend Kate’s Together at Christmas service this year?

As revealed by the official website of the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales, this year’s Together at Christmas carol service will be attended by 1,600 people, alongside members of the Royal Family and celebrities. Kate shared a tantalising glimpse at the beautiful invitations in her recent Instagram video and we now know a few of the specific people who will be there. There will be musical performances from Paloma Faith, Olivia Dean and Gregory Porter and speakers include Prince William and Richard E Grant.

It’s also been reported that Olympic and World Champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy will be at the service, as will Lindsey Burrow, the widow of the late Rugby League star Rob Burrow. According to the BBC, the Princess of Wales has also invited families affected by the attacks in Southport earlier this year to the service.

We know the Prince of Wales will be there and it’s likely that he and Kate will bring Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis like they did last year. King Charles and Queen Camilla have both attended in the past and it would be a lovely sign of support for Kate if they did so again this year.

Other royals that have regularly been to Together at Christmas include Duchess Sophie, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and Zara and Mike Tindall. Members of the extended Royal Family have also gone before, like Prince Michael of Kent and his daughter Lady Gabriella, whilst we'd also expect Carole and Michael Middleton and Pippa Middleton to attend once again this year.

What will the focus of the 2024 Together at Christmas carol service be?

Each one of the Princess of Wales’s carol services have a different focus and this year Together at Christmas will be reflecting 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, the Princess of Wales echoed this when she said 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.