Kate Middleton’s moving message of hope and the importance of love in ‘our darkest times’ to guests at her Christmas carol concert after her most traumatic year
The Princess of Wales will emphasize the importance of love in ‘our darkest times’ in a deeply moving letter to guests attending her Christmas carol concert.
As a challenging year comes to an end for the Princess, during which she was treated for cancer, she wrote movingly in the letter about how the Christmas story “reflects our own vulnerabilities.”
And she urges everyone to live with “an open heart” and reach out to those in need through “gentle words or a receptive ear, an arm around an exhausted shoulder, or silently standing by someone’s side ‘.
It is the first time that Kate, 42, has written to those attending the service at Westminster Abbey, with this year’s theme being ‘how much we need each other, especially at the most difficult times of our lives’.
Guests include six-time Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy, who has terminal cancer, and Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery, who lost her fiancé to the disease.
The Princess has also invited children who survived the horrific stabbings in Southport in July.
Aides said the princess wrote the “special letter” because she wanted to add a personal touch to Friday’s service, this year titled Together at Christmas.
In it she says: ‘Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year.
The Prince of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and the Princess of Wales at the Royal Carols – Together At Christmas service at Westminster Abbey last year
The Princess of Wales in a video announcing she was undergoing treatment for cancer
‘It’s a time for celebration and joy, but it also gives us a chance to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all.
‘The Christmas story encourages us to reflect on the experiences and feelings of others… above all, it encourages us to turn to love, not fear.
“Love is the light that can shine brightly, even in our darkest times.”
Her words are shaped not only by her own cancer journey, but also by the King’s, and reflect her growing spirituality.
Royal biographer and email writer Robert Hardman revealed in his recent book that Kate ‘had become somewhat more interested in questions of faith as a result of her condition’.
Although Prince William reportedly has minimal interest, a church-going family friend told Hardman that “things are more hopeful” in terms of Kate’s faith.
She has gradually returned to work after completing her course of chemotherapy, while the 76-year-old King is still receiving treatment following his successful tour of Australia and will visit Italy next year.
Next week, the princess will make her most significant public engagement since beginning cancer treatment when she welcomes the Emir of Qatar on his state visit to Britain.
Health problems have weighed heavily on the royal family.
Prince William, 42, recently admitted that the past year has been “brutal” and “probably the hardest year of my life.”
The Princess of Wales addresses members of the emergency services during a visit to Southport Community Centre
The Princess of Wales during the Royal Carols – Together At Christmas service at Westminster Abbey in London
Yet Kate’s letter has an extremely positive tone, with repeated references to ‘love’ – the word is mentioned eleven times – and ‘light’, themes to which she has been drawn since her diagnosis. In September, the princess announced that she had completed her chemotherapy.
In a personal video, she said that “out of darkness can come light, so let that light shine brightly,”
She added that the royal family’s trials had ‘particularly reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple but important things in life that so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.’
Elsewhere in the letter, she emphasizes “the importance of giving and receiving empathy, and how much we need each other despite our differences.”
Some commentators may hope that the princess’s approach might encourage her husband to soften his anger towards Prince Harry and allow for the possibility of a future reconciliation. The Duke of Sussex is reaching out to his old friends to reconnect with his former life in Britain, but the Prince of Wales remains stubbornly estranged from his younger brother.
As in previous years, William will support his wife at the concert and plans to give a lecture on the theme of ‘love and empathy’. It is believed a decision will likely be made on that day whether Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, will attend the service.
In previous years, other members of the royal family have expressed their support, although King Charles and Queen Camilla are not expected to attend.
The Prince and Princess of Wales meet an air ambulance paramedic during a visit to Southport Community Centre
6The Princess of Wales at the Royal Carols – Together At Christmas service at Westminster Abbey in London
Prince Louis, Princess of Wales and Duchess of Edinburgh at the Royal Carols – Together At Christmas service at Westminster Abbey
Kate’s letter will be given to all 1,600 guests at Westminster Abbey, including guests who have “gone through difficult times this year and those who have supported others in their community.”
It will also be given to guests at the 15 community anthems taking place across the UK, including at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro and Blackpool Tower Circus.
It is the fourth time that the Princess of Wales has organized a Christmas carol service.
Previous themes have ranged from Covid-19 to her Shaping Us campaign for young children, but this year is undoubtedly the most personal yet.
In addition to the message of ‘love and empathy’, Westminster Abbey will be decorated this year with ‘long-lasting, festive decorations’ to highlight the importance of nature ‘as a source of healing and comfort’, a theme the Princess has adopted during her own cancer journey emphasized. travel.
There will also be a ‘kindness tree’ outside the abbey where guests can dedicate a decoration to someone who has supported them throughout their lives.
Key roles for stars whose lives have been affected by cancer
Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy will take a leading role in the Princess of Wales’s Christmas carol concert this week after ‘connecting’ with Kate following her cancer diagnosis.
The cyclist shocked the nation in October when he boldly announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and had two to four years to live. The MoS can reveal that Sir Chris has since been in contact with the Princess of Wales, who announced her own cancer diagnosis in a courageous video to the nation in March.
Last month, Sir Chris referred to the princess in a radio interview, explaining how her decision to speak publicly about her condition showed the public that cancer is a “leveler” that can “affect anyone at any time.”
Great Britain’s Sir Chris Hoy celebrates with his gold medal after setting a new world record in the track cycling men’s team sprint final
The Prince and Princess of Wales embrace after Chris Hoy won a gold medal in London in 2012
Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain Rugby League player Rob Burrow
The Olympian is one of 1,600 people invited to Friday’s concert at Westminster Abbey, many of whom have “fallen through difficult times”.
Sir Chris will light a candle at the concert alongside Lindsey Burrow, the widow of rugby star Rob Burrow, who died in June aged 41 from motor neurone disease, and team-mate Paralympians Lizzi Jordan and Danni Khan.
Prince William met Rob in January to present him with his CBE and has written the foreword to his memoirs.
The service will also feature Downton Abbey actress Michelle Dockery (right), whose fiancée died of cancer in 2015 at the age of 34. Actor Richard E Grant, whose wife died of lung cancer in 2021, will also give a lecture, as will the Olympic swimmer.
Adam Peaty – whose former training partner, David Murphy, was diagnosed with stage two cancer in 2022 – and actress Sophie Okonedo.
Two weeks ago, Kensington Palace announced that the princess will host the Together At Christmas concert on December 6 with performances by Paloma Faith, Olivia Dean and Gregory Porter.
The event will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve.
