Prince William and Kate Middleton's 'beautiful' invitation to Christmas Carol Service 2022 leaves royal fans confused

Prince William and Kate Middleton have invited the public to join them for a Christmas Carol Service this December, but their announcement has left some royal fans a little confused. 

• Prince William and Kate Middleton have announced that they will be holding a special Christmas Carol Service in December for the second year in a row, much to the delight of royal fans. 
• The Prince and Princess of Wales have unexpectedly caused some confusion, however, with their creative invitation for the festive event. 
• In other royal news, Meghan Markle 'worried' that King Charles could change how she 'introduces herself' in public, says royal insider.
  

Prince William and Kate Middleton have revealed their plans to host a Christmas Carol Service in December, leaving most royal fans excited ‒ and a handful a tad confused. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales took to Twitter on Saturday to invite the public to 'join' them at Westminster Abbey for a 'very special' Carol Service next month, marking their second year in a row to hold the festive singalong. The event, which will pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, will be filmed on December 15 and broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve. 

Rather than announce the news through a traditional written message, the royal couple chose to get creative by posting a video of Westminster Abbey being artfully sketched by a mysterious person. In the short clip, a manicured hand can be seen penciling and painting a beautiful drawing of the historic London cathedral while seasonal music plays in the background. 

People were quick to flood the comment section of the update, with many expressing their anticipation for the royals' Christmas service. 

"Bring on all of the holiday cheer. Looking forward to this!" one person wrote, while another said, "Last year was just amazing and I am sure this year will be too. And what a very beautiful drawing." 

Kate Middleton stole the show with her piano skills at last year's Christmas Carol Service, which saw her join Tom Walker for a poignant performance of the song, 'For Those Who Can't Be Here.' 

William and Kate's announcement did cause some confusion amongst a few of their fans, however, as people struggled to identify the artist behind the Westminster Abbey sketch. A few people speculated that the hand belonged to the Princess of Wales, who famously studied Art History at the University of St. Andrew's between 2001 and 2004. Kate also revealed her creative flare in June 2021, after sharing a sketch she drew up of her Scottish alma mater on her official Instagram. 

It has now been confirmed, however, that the drawing of Westminster Abbey on the Wales couple's invitation was done by Aurelie Baudry Palmer. The London illustrator took to her Instagram on Saturday to share the exciting news with her followers, calling the project "an immense honor and privilege." 

Speaking exclusively to woman&home, Palmer described the experience of being contacted by the Royal Family about the exciting commission as a "'pinch-me moment." 

The talented artist, who left her job at the British Museum four years ago to pursue her passion professionally, went on to share the process behind the stunning sketch. While Palmer found no part of the illustration particularly challenging to complete, she admitted that "the difficulty always lies in finding the right balance between adding detail and keeping the drawing fresh and clean." 

"It has to be rich and intricate without being too busy and heavy," she explained. 

Palmer's favorite feature of the sketch was the two adorable Corgis, which were a touching tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth's dogs, Muick and Sandy. 

"I find including animals and pets in my bespoke commissions always brings such whimsy and fun to the illustration. It tends to be a thing in my work, I always add little characters and pets," she added. 

The Christmas Carol service will be broadcast on ITV One in the UK on Christmas Eve.