Kate Middleton makes emotional admission about cancer battle at moving Christmas concert

As she chatted to those performing at her annual concert at Westminster Abbey, the Princess of Wales made an emotional admission about 2024 as she looked back on the past year

The Princess of Wales has said that at last year's carol service she "didn’t know" what 2024 had in store for her as she arrived to host her fourth annual event at Westminster Abbey.

Kate was joined by her husband and their three children to host her Together At Christmas carol service. It is the first time the Wales family have been seen together in public since their appearance at Trooping the Colour, the King’s birthday parade, in June. An hour before the service began, Kate arrived alone to greet performers in the Chapter House of the abbey before walking around to greet other guests. When singer Paloma Faith expressed sympathy for the princess, who this year underwent chemotherapy, Kate, 42, replied: "I didn’t know this time last year it was going to be the year I’ve just had."

The princess, who married Prince William in 2011 and attended the late Queen’s funeral in 2022 at the abbey, said that the building held "so many memories" for her. While seeming to talk about the soloists from the Royal Ballet who performed during the service, Kate said that she had enlisted Prince Louis, six, to keep it a surprise for her daughter Princess Charlotte, nine.

Speaking to Paloma Faith, Kate said she asked Louis "Can you keep a secret otherwise it won’t be a surprise for Charlotte, who loves her ballet dancing". She said that Louis agreed. "He has kept the secret for, what, nearly two weeks now." "Very challenging," said Faith. "For a six-year-old," replied Kate. "And then this morning he said “Mummy, please can I tell her - I’m bursting. I did drop off and he really wanted to tell her. I think - hopefully - he’s kept it." Charlotte later looked thrilled as she saw the ballet dancers, suggesting her younger brother had been good to his word.

Kate then walked to the north transept and knelt down to speak to scouts from 44th Bury (Robot) scout group from Bury, Manchester. Greeting various guests as she walked through the abbey, she stopped at the nave to greet Chris Hoy and his family. The Olympic cycling champion who has terminal cancer told her he had never been to Westminster Abbey before.

Shaking hands with Hoy’s young son Callum and daughter Chloe, Kate, who was dressed in a red coat with black bow by Sarah Burton coat for Alexander McQueen, commented on Chloe’s sparkly dress, saying: “I was going to wear sparkles too!” By the nave, Kate stopped to speak to 100-year-old D-Day veteran Bernard Morgan who was attending the service as an ambassador for the Royal British Legion.

Morgan said: “It was truly special to be part of The Princess of Wales’s Together at Christmas Carol Service at Westminster Abbey. I am very grateful to be invited, and I was honoured to light a candle on behalf of all the amazing volunteers at the Royal British Legion who give up their time to support veterans like me.

“I am always keen for the younger generation to know exactly what went on during the War and to appreciate the sacrifice that our lads made so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. Being able to continue to tell my story at 100 is wonderful and I am grateful to the Princess of Wales and the Royal British Legion for giving me the opportunity to do that.
"It was lovely to see Her Royal Highness looking so well. It was a delightful event at the Abbey and a night I will never forget."

Olivia Dean, who was invited to perform The Christmas Song, said: "I'm so excited to be performing at Her Royal Highness's 'Together at Christmas' Carol Service at Westminster Abbey this year. It’s such a treat for me to be able to sing with the RAF brass band, in such an iconic venue. I’m sure it’s going to be a really special evening, full of Christmas joy.”

Among the members of the royal family attending the carol service were the Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and their son Christopher Woolf Mapelli Mozzi.

William’s cousin Zara Tindall was also among the guests, as were Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and their daughter Lady Gabriella Windsor, making her first appearance at a royal event since a coroner concluded this week that her husband Thomas Kingston had taken his own life following an inquest into his death.

The highlights of the service included Porter performing Do You Hear What I Hear? and Faith singing the classic soul song This Christmas. Actor Richard E Grant recited a passage from Charles Dickens’s classic festive story A Christmas Carol, while Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery read some of her personal reflections.