Breaking: Kate Middleton’s Message About the ‘Darkest Times’ Is Raising Eyebrows….Read More

References to love, empathy, and forgiveness in the Princess of Wales’s moving letter has left many royal fans wondering whether Kate might be making a subtle gesture towards King Charles and Prince Harry.

Kate Middleton has penned a reflective letter, which will be given to the 1,600 guests attending Westminster Abbey for her Together at Christmas carol service. In the address, Catherine implored the public to “turn to love, not fear,” even in what she described as “the darkest times.”

It is no wonder that empathy and the importance of human connection have been on the Princess’s mind as she looks back on 2024. It has been, as Prince William declared, a “brutal” year for the Wales family. Catherine announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer in March, following major abdominal surgery, then stepped back from the public eye to undergo chemotherapy treatment. As such, her decision to host her fourth annual Christmas carol concert has been viewed as a milestone return to royal duties. But what might this highly personal message tell us about how the Princess of Wales has viewed this most challenging of years?

Christmas is my favorite time of the year,” wrote the Princess of Wales in the letter, which concertgoers will receive alongside the order of service on Friday. “It is a time for celebration and joy, but it also gives us the opportunity to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all.”

She continued, focusing on how stepping back from daily life might encourage us to look inwards to the more vulnerable sides of ourselves and re-focus on what we can offer to others. “The Christmas story encourages us to consider the experiences and feelings of others,” Catherine wrote. “It also reflects our own vulnerabilities and reminds us of the importance of giving and receiving empathy, as well as just how much we need each other in spite of our differences.”

The princess then opened up about the importance of love, in a message that many will read as a personal insight into her own personal development this year, as well as how her own family helped her through her chemotherapy treatment. “Above all else,” she wrote of the Christmas story, “it encourages us to turn to love, not fear. The love that we show ourselves and the love we show others. Love that listens with empathy, love that is kind and understanding, love that is forgiving, and love that brings joy and hope.”

She added: ‘”It is this love which is the greatest gift we can receive. Not just at Christmas, but every day of our lives. Love is the light that can shine bright, even in our darkest times.”

The heartfelt wording is an echo of the Princess of Wales’s own meditation on how her health journey this year left her with a refreshed outlook on family life. In a statement announcing that her chemotherapy had come to an end in September, she wrote: “The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.”

“This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.”

The guidance of family on roads unknown, the light of love in dark times—while poetic in their style, these sentiments will certainly be read as a personal insight into a year that has been extremely challenging for the House of Windsor. Alongside Catherine’s health journey, King Charles has also been undergoing cancer treatment, and The Princess of Wales’ paean to empathy comes after reports that she and the King have grown closer than ever during their health journey this year.

Speaking to The Times, this Spring, a source said the king has “always” had a “close, warm and unique” relationship with the princess, while she has “a great love and respect for him.” But they revealed how the two had spent time together while receiving treatment. Insiders said, “When they were in hospital together there was a lot of toddling down the corridor to spend time with her.”

Meanwhile insiders speaking to The Telegraph said the King “treats Kate like the daughter he never had.” Sources went on to explain how Kate had been inspired to speak out about her diagnosis after seeing Charles’s own openness about his condition.

Minutes after Kate released her moving statement to the public in March, Charles and Camilla released their own written statement, praising the princess for her courage.

A statement released by the palace read, “His Majesty is so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did. His Majesty has remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law. Both Their Majestys will continue to offer their love and support to the family at this time.”

And what of that reference to forgiveness? One significant aspect of the royals’ modern-day Annus Horribilis has no doubt been the schism between the House of Windsor and the Sussexes, as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to grow ever the more distant from their family back in Britain. This week, sources have revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not been invited to Christmas at Sandringham, the sixth year they have been “snubbed” by the Crown.

The frosty relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry dates back to the Duke of Sussex’s allegations against Catherine in his bombshell memoir Spare, but it was an apparent dig at Kate Middleton during his 2022 documentary that was seen as “the lowest of the low.” Speaking during one of the show’s early episodes, Harry said: “I think for so many people in the family, especially obviously the men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mold as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with.

According to royal writer Robert Hardman, this was widely perceived as an attack on William’s relationship with Kate. A friend of the family told the author: “On top of all the other breaches of trust, here was Harry making a blatant attack on Catherine. For William, this was the lowest of the low.”