King Charles and Queen Camilla are gearing up to host their royal relatives and attend church together on Easter Sunday – but this year’s gathering will almost definitely be bittersweet for the Firm
It is one of the few times of the year when the Royal Family all join together to mark a major event in the calendar.
But this year’s royal Easter celebration this year will be bittersweet and certainly look a lot different to previous years. King Charles will be leading the royals on Easter Sunday at their annual church service – the same as last year. But several other key members of the Firm are unable to join the celebration this year and it also falls at a time when several key royals have health issues and are also facing bittersweet anniversaries…
King’s treatment
Easter this year obviously comes at a difficult time personally for the King – and Easter Sunday will mark his most significant public appearance since he was diagnosed with cancer.
The King has paused public-facing duties while he continues cancer treatment and has only been carrying out his duties of state behind palace walls. Phil Dampier told Fabulous: “It’s great news that the King is well enough to accompany the Queen and other members of the royal family to the service at Windsor on Easter Sunday. But it will be a poignant day and holiday period for him as he reflects on Easter’s past.”
Kate’s cancer news
Confirmation of the King’s Easter Sunday appearance comes just days after the Princess of Wales revealed her cancer diagnosis and released an emotional video message revealing she has started a course of preventative chemotherapy.
This means that Kate, Prince William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will miss the service on Sunday. The family are spending the Easter holidays together as they adjust to Kate’s diagnosis, which was discovered in post-operative tests following her major abdominal surgery.
Phil also told the publication: “With the Prince and Princess of Wales absent, and doubtless, their children as well, the King will be thinking of them in particular and of course Kate, who he has supported as they both fight cancer. They have reportedly grown a lot closer because of their shared plight and he will be looking forward to future Easters when they are both well again.”
Smaller gathering
But it’s not just the Wales family that will be missing from Sunday’s service – other members of the Firm look set to miss out. That’s because the service will be a smaller version of the annual gathering, with fewer members of the royal family present.
Although the Easter service is within the grounds of the castle, the King and Queen will be seen arriving by the media. Royal arrivals at the chapel’s Galilee Porch are often watched by staff living at Windsor, who usually gather on a grassy bank nearby or look on from their doorsteps.
Late Queen missing
Meanwhile, the royals will no doubt be thinking about the late Queen as they prepare to celebrate Easter – a holiday that she loved to celebrate.
The former monarch would also gather her family at Windsor for Easter, which would culminate in a big family meal on Easter Sunday. Royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward previously told The Sun: “They will all have dinner together but not the young children they will eat in the nursery dining room.
“The Queen always said until they could hold a knife and fork properly they could not eat at the table, but Charles might have relaxed that rule a bit. But dinner is only for grown-ups.”
Remembering Philip
Also, no doubt being remembered during Easter this year will be the late Prince Philip as the third anniversary of his death is fast approaching.
The late Duke of Edinburgh died on April 9, 2021, and although Easter had already gone when Philip passed away, this year it is close to the anniversary of his death. Philip, the beloved husband of the late Queen was the longest-serving consort in British history, dedicating decades of his life to royal duty, serving the nation at the monarch’s side. He died at Windsor Castle at the age of 99.
Queen mother anniversary
Another bittersweet anniversary the royals will also face this weekend is the death of the late Queen Mother, who was incredibly close to King Charles.
She died at the age of 101 on March 30, 2002, which was Easter Saturday that year. Charles was famously close to his maternal grandmother and was only three when his mother ascended the throne. He spent a great deal of time with the Queen Mother while his parents were on official visits and state tours. She was said to have appreciated his sensitive nature and encouraged his interest in music, art and culture.
