Kate Middleton‘s “Together at Christmas” carol service brought members of the royal family together, although there were a few notable absences.

The Princess of Wales, 43, hosted her fifth annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in London on Dec. 5, and the event drew a royal crowd.

Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike Tindall, were among the first members of the royal family to arrive at the service. Also in attendance were Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife, Sophie Winkelman, and their daughters, Maud, 12, and Isabella, 9.

Princess Margaret‘s daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto, was also present, and Prince William arrived with Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.

Other royal guests included Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duchess of Gloucester and Queen Elizabeth‘s first cousin, Prince Michael of Kent.

Despite the many royal family members in attendance, King Charles and Queen Camilla were not seen at Westminster Abbey for the event. Although the royal couple attended in 2022, when the service was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth just months after her death, Charles and Camilla have not attended the annual service since.

Given that the event is Kate’s passion project, it makes sense that she and Prince William would be the senior-most royals in attendance — and it’s possible that King Charles and Queen Camilla wanted to make sure that Princess Kate had the spotlight for the night.

The King, 77, is known to share a special bond with the Princess of Wales. He referred to Kate as “my beloved daughter-in-law” while speaking at a state banquet in Kenya in October 2023, recounting how Prince William proposed to her in the country in 2010.

Their bond has been made stronger in recent years as they both received cancer diagnoses in 2024.

Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith previously told PEOPLE that King Charles “has always had a very good bond” with Princess Kate. “I don’t think it is presumptuous to say that she is like the daughter he never had,” she said. “He shares with William an impulse to protect her. They are in this together, Kate and the King.”

The royals aren’t the only ones who step out to support Princess Kate at the service, which PEOPLE is attending.

The Princess of Wales’ parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were on hand to support their daughter, joined by Kate’s brother, James Middleton, and his wife, Alizée Thevenet.

Celebrity guests at the 2025 service included Eugene Levy and Dame Mary Berry, in addition to Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Dan Smith, who are involved in the program as speakers or performers.

Hannah Waddingham pulled out as a performer at the last minute after her singing voice became compromised, Hello! reported, but she still attended as a guest.

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Princess Kate launched the inaugural “Together at Christmas” carol service in 2021 as a way to thank individuals in the U.K. who went above and beyond for their communities during the COVID pandemic. It has continued as a tradition ever since as an evening of music, community and togetherness.

This year, the service is being celebrated with the theme of “love in all its forms” and the congregation had 1,600 people strong, “connected by the love and compassion which binds us all at Christmas and all year round,” a palace statement said.