In a letter teased on Instagram Saturday, Kate Middleton appeared to allude to the British royal family’s difficult year as she wrote effusively of the power of love and forgiveness. The Christmas-themed missive was announced just a day after news broke that a high-profile fracture in her own family remains unmended.

The message came via Instagram Saturday, in a post from the account Middleton shares with her husband, Prince William. It depicts two blurry photos of typewritten pages, the second bearing Middleton’s signature. “A special letter, reflecting on the importance of love, empathy and how much we need one another in the most difficult times,” the post is captioned.

The note will be given to attendees of this year’s Together at Christmas Carol Service, an annual event that Kate Middleton founded four years ago. The concert, which is broadcast across the UK on Christmas Eve, features carols from the Westminster Abbey choir, as well as celebrity performers including Paloma Faith, Olivia Dean and Gregory Porter.

This year, the event will “celebrate the many people supporting those in need – individuals who have inspired, counselled, comforted, and above all else shown that love is the greatest gift we can receive,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.

“This theme takes inspiration from the Christmas story which encourages us to consider the experiences of others and the important human need of giving and receiving empathy.”

Those sentiments are also reflected in Middleton’s note, which is viewable online. In it, Middleton writes that Christmas 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. 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.”

“The Christmas story encourages us to consider the experiences and feelings of others,” she wrote. “It also reflects our 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. Above all else, 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.”

Middleton’s words are clearly an allusion to the challenging year the royal family has faced, including the cancer treatments King Charles III is undergoing, as well as her own recent battle with the disease. However, one also wonders if this is a reflection of the ongoing rift between her family and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who were reportedly excluded from the royal family’s holiday plans.

If so, this wouldn’t be the first time that Together at Christmas has been used to send a message to Middleton’s brother and sister-in-law. In 2022, much of the family arrived in burgundy clothing, which The Guardian and others interpreted as a rebuttal to Markle’s claims in the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan that at any public event, “you also should never be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family.”

But that was 2022, and a lot has happened to the family since—which Middleton seems to acknowledge as she closes her note. “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. We all have something we can offer one another. Gentle words or a receptive ear, an arm around an exhausted shoulder, or silently being by someone’s side.”