Kate Middleton shared the personal weight of her past year during a Christmas carol service at London’s Westminster Abbey. The Sun newspaper reports that Kate was speaking to singer Paloma Faith, who expressed her sympathy for the princess with her health struggles, which involved having surgery and undergoing chemotherapy.

The event was a family affair as Kate was joined by her husband Prince William, Prince of Wales and her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Princess Kate was surrounded by family and friends at her Christmas carol service in central London, but her younger sister, Princess Eugenie, was noticeably absent