Princess Kate’s surprise tea party before Together at Christmas concert

Princess Kate made a surprise appearance at a tea party before her Together at Christmas carol service. Photo / Kensington Palace

Princess Kate has surprised guests at a Christmas tea party.

In anticipation of the Princess of Wales’ Together at Christmas carol service, a short clip has been released by Kensington Palace showing the mother of three surprising a group of childcare workers at their festive tea party.

Daily Mail reported the party was held to celebrate and reunite adults with children they had mentored in the past, but there was another special reason for the gathering and attendees were seen wide-eyed with surprise as the princess entered the room through a side door.

“Sorry to disturb the party, hope you don’t mind!” she said to the group of adults and children who were not expecting her to walk through the door.

Three inspiring people making a real difference to the lives of young people.

It was so lovely to join Rico, Arwyen, Jenson, Poppy, Henry and George for a special surprise celebration for the people in their lives who have helped shape them. Russell, Ray and Brenda, it was a…

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) December 23, 2023

There were smiles all around as they greeted the princess, including from a baffled teenage footballer, Rico, as he reportedly believed he was only due to reunite with his former football coach, Russell Gray.

The interaction was filmed last month as part of the princess’ third annual Christmas concert. This year’s service is dedicated to all those who support and uplift children and will include performances by singer Adam Lambert and singer-songwriter and actor Beverley Knight.

In the essence of the theme for this year’s concert, Kate sat down with Gary and Rico to hear about the importance of positive mentors.

In the clip, Gray can be heard talking to the princess and Rico explaining how important it is for children to receive encouragement and support in their early years so they can build their self-esteem.

He said: “If you can teach them self-reliance, responsibility, self-esteem — football and teamwork does all that.”

Elsewhere, Rico told Kate his mentorship from Gary was a huge help to him as a child. “It’s brought trust. If you can trust one person then you can trust more people.”

Daily Mail reported Gray described the interaction as “breathtaking”, adding, “She took the air out of the room.”

The princess met many other members of the public at the tea party, including brothers George, 12, and Henry Barnard, 10, who spoke about their musical therapy experience at East Anglia Children’s Hospice, of which Kate is a patron.

Speaking to the boys for 15 minutes as they recounted their love for music, the princess revealed her eldest son, Prince George, 10, enjoys the guitar, while Princess Charlotte, 8, loves singing, and Prince Louis, 5, enjoys the drums.

Together at Christmas will air on TVNZ 1 at 7.45 tonight.