OTTAWA -- With many people spending Christmas apart from their friends and family, after a year of COVID-19 pandemic challenges, Prince William and Kate say wishing a “merry” Christmas “doesn’t feel right this year.”

The royal family wrote that their thoughts are with those who are spending Christmas alone, mourning the loss of a loved one, or who are on the front line of the coronavirus fight “still mustering the energy to put your own lives on hold to look after the rest of us,” in posts on Kensington royal social media pages. 

“Wishing a merry Christmas doesn’t feel right this year, so instead we’re wishing for a better 2021,” the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continued, going on to list support services for those who are struggling.

Similarly, Prince Charles and Camilla posted: “Wishing you all a happy Christmas and here’s to a better New Year!” 

Amid concerns about a new coronavirus variant found in the U.K., that country and many others around the world are spending the holiday season under various degrees of public health restrictions including limits on gatherings, to try to limit the spread of COVID-19.