Kate Middleton Quietly Invited Children from a Special Cause to Her Carol Service

Mar. 15, 2025

Kate Middleton at the Together at Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6, 2024.Photo:Chris Jackson/Getty

Chris Jackson/Getty

Kate Middletontapped some special helpers for her ​​Together at Christmascarol service — children from the Scouts group she backs as president!

“We gave our@scoutsvolunteers a camera for the day of the Together at Christmas Carol Service…This is how they captured it,” Princess Kate’s team wrote onXon Dec. 23, sharing photos snapped from behind the scenes and a handwritten thank you card starring one of the shots.

Groups included in the holiday concert were the 44th Bury (R.O.B.O.T.) Scouts from the Bury and Ramsbottom District and the 1st West Byfleet Scout Group in Surrey, which are celebrating their centenaries. A few national volunteers also attended the event, and Michael Marks, General Secretary for the International Forum of Jewish Scouts, said the service left an impression.

“It was a wonderful occasion and a real honor to be there,” Marks said.

Princess Katewas a Browniealongside her sisterPippa Middletonwhen she was a young girl, and her relationship with the Scouts came full-circle when she became the organization’s joint president in 2020. The Princess of Wales shares the royal role withQueen Elizabeth’s cousin,Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, andpreviously mentionedthat she’d like her kids to get involved with the group, too.

Prince Louis and Kate Middleton at Together at Christmas on Dec. 6, 2024.Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty

Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty

The Princess of Wales also sent the Scouts home from the fourth iteration of herTogether at Christmascarol service home with a little something special — Christmas trees that were brought in to decorate the ancient abbey.

“Several of the Christmas trees from Westminster Abbey were gifted to [Scout] Groups on a first come, first served basis, and delivered after the service in time for end of term Christmas celebrations,” the statement explained.

Continuing tradition, several members of the royal family were among the 1,600 guests in attendance at Princess Kate’sTogether at Christmasconcert. The Princess of Wales launched the event with The Royal Foundation in 2021 as a way to thank those across the U.K. who went the extra mile for the communities during the COVID pandemic and has held it ever since.

Kensington Palace previously said that the carol service would again welcome those who went above and beyond for their communities and others who experienced difficult times this year. Kate poignantly invitedfamilies and survivorsfrom Southport, the site of a massstabbingat aTaylor Swift-themed dance class in July which three children were killed. She and Prince Williamlater visitedthe grieving community, and PEOPLE understands the trip emphasized that those affected are not forgotten.

The Wales family at Together at Christmas on Dec. 6, 2024.Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty

Princess Kate emotionally choselove and empathyas the themes for the latest iteration, and the service was especially memorable as her most major event since she shared on Sept. 9 that shecompleted chemotherapy. The Princess of Wales was outside of the limelight for almost the entirety of 2024 to prioritize her health after sharing in March that she was undergoingtreatment for cancer, which followed the February announcement that King Charles was receivingcancer treatment. (The King’s treatment is thought to be ongoing, andpalace sources confirmedthat it will continue into 2025.)

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

“Welcome to ourTogether at Christmascarol service here at Westminster Abbey. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a time for presents, tinsel and mince pies, but it’s also a time to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all,” she said in audio revealed over the weekend. “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.”

Step inside the royals' holiday traditions with PEOPLE’s Special Edition:Christmas at the Palace: A Royal Family Album.

source: people.com