“Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Share Heartwarming Holiday Card with Rare Photos of Archie and Lilibet!”

This holiday season holds special emotional significance for both Kate and King Charles, 76, as they have faced major health challenges this year. In September, Kate announced the completion of her chemotherapy treatment. Meanwhile, Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer around the same time, continues to undergo treatment.

The Together at Christmas service will be broadcast as part of Royal Carols: Together At Christmas on ITV1 and ITVX in the U.K., airing at 7:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

This is a rare look at the children, who were last seen briefly in the couple’s Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which premiered in December 2022.

PEOPLE understands that while this card is intended for professional use, the family has sent a separate, private holiday card to close friends and relatives, which will not be shared publicly.

Over the summer, a source close to Harry told PEOPLE that he remains committed to maintaining his children’s privacy to protect them.

“Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them, but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats. He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm,” a friend shared.

“As a dad and husband, Harry is determined to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself,” the friend added, referencing the tragic fate of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana.

This year, the couple continued their tradition by including The Archewell Foundation in their holiday greetings. Established by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2020, the charity serves as a platform for their philanthropic efforts. Archewell has been a part of their holiday card for the past three years.

Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation follows the motto “Show Up, Do Good,” and this year, their work with the organization took them across the globe, including the U.S. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled to Nigeria in May and Colombia in August to further Archewell’s key charitable initiatives, while also expanding the foundation’s impact within the U.S. with increased programming.

This year marked the second year of Archewell’s The Welcome Project, which helps recently resettled women build community, and the launch of The Parents Network, a support initiative for families affected by online harm. Prince Harry and Meghan’s involvement in these causes saw them traveling, with Meghan attending Welcome Project dinners in California, and Harry promoting the Parents Network and advocating for change at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City.

“It is hugely important for us to meet directly with people, supporting our causes and listening, in order to bring about solutions, support and positive change,” Prince Harry shared with PEOPLE during the trip to Nigeria,emphasizing the importance of direct connection.

“There’s only so much one can do from home and over Zoom, so we look forward to traveling more because the work matters. Whether it’s the Archewell Foundation, Invictus, or any of our other causes, there will always be reasons to meet the people at the heart of our work,” Prince Harry shared.

While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not featured their children in photos for recent holiday cards, they have done so in the past. In 2019, Prince Archie appeared in the family’s first holiday card as a family of three. The following year, the couple sent out an illustrated photo taken by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, showing them in their backyard in California during their first American Christmas season since moving from the U.K.

For their 2021 holiday card, Prince Harry and Meghan shared the first photo of their daughter, Princess Lilibet, who was born that June. The photo, which showed the family of four, also revealed that Prince Archie had inherited his dad’s red hair!

In their 2021 holiday card, Prince Harry and Meghan shared a heartfelt message that read, “This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a ‘Mama’ and a ‘Papa’, and Lili made us a family.” The message accompanied a photo taken by Alexi Lubomirski, who also captured their official engagement portraits in 2017.

For their 2022 holiday card, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose a black-and-white photo from the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York City, where they were honored a few weeks prior. They received the prestigious award for their efforts in racial justice, mental health, and social impact through the Archewell Foundation.

Last year, for their holiday greeting, the couple selected a glamorous image of themselves clapping at the closing ceremony of the 2023 Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Their virtual greeting, sent via email on behalf of Archewell, expressed: “We wish you a very happy holiday season. Thanks for all the support in 2023!”