
Just hours after Harry & Meghan Volume II premiered on Netflix, Princess Kate arrived at Westminster Abbey to host her second annual royal Christmas Carol Concert.
While the rest of us won't be able to experience this reportedly magical evening until it airs on British TV on Christmas Eve, Marie Claire spoke to one lucky attendee, Bettina Moltrecht, who was invited to the royal celebration on behalf of the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.
"The whole room had gone silent and I didn’t know why, but then I saw Kate and she is as beautiful in real life as she is on photos," Moltrecht says.
"It felt unreal to see them all so close. It was nice also that she came early to take time to speak to people."
The Princess of Wales arrived at the Abbey sometime in the afternoon, flanked by her husband Prince William, and their two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The King and Queen consort were also in attendance, as were Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, Zara Tindall, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
Kate stunned in an elegant wine-red coat dress by Eponine, paired with matching pointy suede pumps, and a matching snakeskin-effect clutch. Princess Charlotte adorably twinned with her royal mom.
Meanwhile, Prince George looked like dad William's mini-me in an adorable navy suit. William himself allowed himself a festive nod to his wife and daughter's outfits with a wine-red tie.
As for the actual service, Moltrecht loved it. "It was a wonderful compilation of songs and artists," she explains. "It was my first Christmas Carol Service in the U.K. so it was very impressive and special to have that in Westminster Abbey."
She also was excited to spot Spice Girl Melanie C and singer Craig David in the Abbey, both of whom were there as musical guests.
Bring on Christmas Eve, TBH!
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
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