Kate Middleton Shares Emotional Christmas Message: ‘Love Is the Light in Our Darkest Times’

Kate Middleton is sharing an emotional Christmas message.

Giving her thanks to people who have gone above and beyond for their families and communities this year, the Princess of Wales advocated for love, kindness and empathy in a heartfelt letter to the guests of her annual carol service and other church services held around the U.K.

Amid her own recovery from cancer treatment following her Sept. 9 announcement that she had completed chemotherapy, Princess Kate reached out to each of the 1,600 guests who will gather in Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6 and elsewhere with the emotionally-charged letter. Coming after a year in which she has had major surgery followed by a cancer diagnosis, and while her father-in-law King Charles in still undergoing ​​cancer treatment, her words seem to carry even more poignancy. 

In the communication, the Princess of Wales, 42, seems to be thinking of those who have helped her and supported her family. 

Kate and her husband Prince William, 42, will be joined by other members of the royal family for the occasion. It is likely the couple will bring their three children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, as they have in the past.

The holiday period is one of her favorite times of the year, Kate said, a moment “for celebration and joy.”

She added, “It also gives us the opportunity to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all. It is when we stop and take ourselves away from the pressures of daily life that we find the space to live our lives with an open heart, with love, kindness and forgiveness — so much of what the Christmas spirit is all about.”

There will also be performances by guests including singers Olivia Dean, Gregory Porter and Paloma Faith, as well as a specially-composed piece by pianist Rosey Chan. Soloists from The Royal Ballet and students from The Royal Ballet School are set to perform a specially-created piece.

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Outside the Abbey, the palace said, there will be a “Kindness Tree” for guests to dedicate a decoration to someone who has supported them throughout their life. As they wait to enter the Abbey, where William and Kate wed in 2011 and where Queen Elizabeth’s funeral was held in 2022, guests will also be treated to music by young performers, including a 25-piece steel pan band and jazz ensemble from Restore the Music, a non-profit which supports music education for young people.