Kate celebrates UK community work at Christmas service

Britain’s Princess Kate of Wales hosts an annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, mostly to honor invited guests for service to the community.

The event, started by the princess, is now in its fifth year and offers the royal family a chance to thank people across Britain who volunteer, raise funds for charity and support vulnerable people.

Kate, 43, completed a course of preventative chemotherapy against an unspecified form of cancer last year. She gave each guest a note highlighting how a “moment of listening” and a “comforting word” can make a difference in people’s lives.

She and Prince William were photographed arriving at the London service with their three children, George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven.

William gave a reading in front of 1,600 guests alongside actors Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Joe Locke, as well as actor and comedian Babatunde Aléshé.

“At a time when life can sometimes feel fragmented or uncertain, the Christmas season invites us to remember the power of reaching out to each other with generosity, understanding, and hope,” Kate wrote in her note.

The Kensington Palace office said the service was for people of all faiths and no faith.

Westminster Abbey’s choir was due to sing traditional Christmas carols alongside more contemporary musical performances by Hannah Waddingham and Katie Melua.

The Christmas Together ceremony will be broadcast in Britain on Christmas Eve, while the couple’s 15-community carol ceremony, supported by the philanthropic arm of the Royal Foundation, will take place in the UK throughout December.