Princess Kate surprised a teenage boy and his football coach ahead of her Together at Christmas carol service, which was held on December 8 in Westminster Abbey.

Although Kate and the rest of the Royal Family attended the service, now in its third year, earlier in the month, this clip is now being released ahead of the concert’s broadcast on ITV tonight (Christmas Eve).

This year the focus of the concert is early childhood development, an area which the Princess of Wales has been passionately involved with for many years.

She attended a festive tea party to meet Rico and his coach Russell Gray, 70, where she discussed with them the importance of building relationships on and off the pitch.

The carol service will be shown at 7:45 pm, and it is hoped it will “the hope of new life and why it is so important to build supportive, nurturing worlds around children and the adults in their lives”.

The Westminster Abbey choir will perform popular carols, alongside musical performances by the likes of Jacob Collier, Freya Ridings and James Bay, and a special duet by Beverley Knight and Adam Lambert.

Readings will be given by speakers including the Prince of Wales, Micheal Ward, Emma Willis, Roman Kemp, and Jim Broadbent, while a specially commissioned poem written by Joseph Coelho, the Children’s Laureate, will be read by Leonie Elliott.