UK's Princess Kate celebrates community work at annual Christmas service

Kate, Britain's Princess of Wales, hosted an annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey on Friday to honour guests who had mostly been invited for service to the community, joined by her husband and heir to the throne Prince William.

The event, which the princess launched, is now in its fifth year, offering the royal family a chance to thank people across Britain for volunteering, raising funds for charity and supporting the vulnerable.

Kate, 43, last year completed a course of preventative chemotherapy to address an unspecified form of cancer. She gave each guest a note highlighting how a "moment of listening" and "word of comfort" can make a difference to people's lives.

She and William were pictured arriving at the service with their three children, George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, 7.

William was due to deliver a reading before 1,600 guests along with 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 one another with generosity of heart, understanding and hope," Kate wrote in her note.

The service was aimed at people of all faiths and those without faith, her Kensington Palace office said.

Westminster Abbey's choir was due to sing traditional Christmas carols, alongside performances of more contemporary music by Hannah Waddingham and Katie Melua.

The "Together at Christmas" service will be broadcast on Britain's ITV television on Christmas Eve, while 15 community carol services supported by the couple's Royal Foundation charitable arm will be held across Britain during December.