Royal news live: Kate Middleton’s carol service message revealed with William and kids set to attend

The Princess of Wales will deliver a heartful Christmas message about the importance of love – “the greatest gift we can receive” – to those attending her annual carol service.

Kate has written a letter for the 1,600 Westminster Abbey carol goers, including members of the royal family, telling them “Love is the light that can shine bright, even in our darkest times”.

Her message, featured with the order of service for the event on Friday, will say: “This Carol Service is a heartfelt celebration of every one of you, and a reminder that at Christmas, and throughout the year, we must all shine for each other.

“Because in times of joy and sadness, we are all each other’s light.”

During the past year the princess has returned to public duties after being treated for cancer, while the King is still under the care of cancer specialists, and the service aims to provide a moment of reflection about the importance of loved ones, especially during difficult times.

Kate is expected to be joined by her family, husband William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the King and Queen did not attend the Together at Christmas carol service in 2023 but have previously.

The Princess of Wales has urged the public to change its attitude towards those dependent on drink or drugs – saying “addiction is not a choice”.

Kate highlighted how every addict is a “human being, with a story of their own” and “it is not our place to judge or criticise” in a written message to mark Addiction Awareness Week.

In a bid to tackle the stigma associated with the issue, she called on everyone to support charities helping addicts and their families by changing the “way we think about and consider the many people coping with addiction”.

Kate is patron of the Forward Trust, an addiction charity, and her involvement in the awareness week comes a few months after the princess announced she was returning to public duties following the completion of her chemotherapy treatment.

Kevin Sinfield joined more than 8,000 Santas as he set off on his latest fundraising challenge, described by the Prince of Wales as a “fitting tribute” to his ex-Leeds teammate Rob Burrow.

Sinfield, 44, said his fifth annual challenge, Running Home For Christmas, was part of a “legacy” for Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in December 2019 and died in June.

In the video message, recorded at Windsor, William said: “Kevin – Catherine and I just wanted to wish you the very best of luck for what’s going to be a very gruelling week, raising money and awareness around MND.

“What you and Rob have achieved has been incredible and it’s a very fitting tribute to his legacy, what you’re achieving again this week.

“I’m sure you’ll be running with him in your mind the whole way round.”

The prince, who surprised Burrow and Sinfield by presenting them with their CBEs for services to MND awareness in January, added: “So the very best of luck from Catherine and I.

“We’ll be thinking of you all week.”

The Duchess of Edinburgh has warned that the devastation of conflict-related sexual violence continues long after the guns fall silent, as she offered a comforting hug to a Yazidi genocide survivor.

Sophie was pictured with her arm around Awaz Abdi who was captured and enslaved by so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq a decade ago when she was just 10 years old.

The pair met when the duchess visited The Women Who Beat Isis travelling photography exhibition at the Foreign Office in London on Wednesday.

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The event will be broadcast as part of the programme Royal Carols: Together At Christmas, screened on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve, and it will feature three films about the stories of people and organisations who have inspired, counselled and comforted others in their times of need.

Alongside the event at Westminster Abbey, 15 community carol services will take place around the UK in the coming days, to provide a moment for people to come together and celebrate community work during the festive season.

Hosted by Lord Lieutenants, and supported by William and Kate’s Royal Foundation, these events will be tailored to their local communities and include elements of the Westminster Abbey service – including Kate’s letter.

Rescue animals from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home took part in a festive photoshoot at the King and Queen’s country estate Highgrove.

Percy, Darcie, Elspeth, Harper, Missy and Shadow, who are all looking for new homes in time for Christmas, were invited to Gloucestershire, travelling from the charity’s Old Windsor Centre.

They posed on a new range of bespoke footstools, crafted and upholstered using recycled curtains from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle by students and community groups working with Charles’s charity The King’s Foundation.

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King Charles’s decades’ old celebration of traditional architecture, arts and handicrafts is being embraced by the Arab world, now keen to promote their own arts and crafts in similar fashion.

This week an agreement effectively uniting the commitment of two kingdoms was signed in Riyadh. The co-operation agreement commits The King’s Foundation to participate in Saudi Arabia’s Year of Handicrafts 2025 initiative through the Foundation’s School of Traditional Arts.

The signing ceremony on Wednesday was attended by Prince Bader bin Farhan, minister of culture, at the Saudi International Handicrafts Week Exhibition in Riyadh. Khaled Omar Azzam, director of the traditional arts school at The King’s Foundation, and Hamed Fayez, deputy minister of culture, also attended the signing of the agreement, which aims to revive and promote handicrafts in Saudi Arabia throughout 2025.

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The Prince and Princess of Wales have expressed their sadness at the death of teenage photographer Liz Hatton, saying it was “an honour to have met such a brave and humble young woman”.

The 17-year-old, who died on Wednesday, pursued a photography bucket list after being diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of cancer at the start of the year.

Liz, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, hit the headlines when she was pictured being hugged by Kate at Windsor Castle in October after being invited to take pictures of William at an investiture.

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