Prince William and Princess Kate will not attend the Easter Sunday service in Windsor this weekend, marking their second consecutive absence. The couple has chosen to spend the holiday weekend with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, at their Norfolk residence, Anmer Hall. It’s possible that Kate’s family, the Middletons, may join them for the Bank Holiday celebrations.
The couple’s decision has sparked mixed reactions, but it’s clear that they’re prioritizing family time before their children return to school next week at Lambrook School in Berkshire. Last year, the Wales family also missed the service, as Kate was undergoing treatment for cancer. Before that, they had attended the annual event regularly since 2017, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 when the service was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Prince William’s decision to skip the Easter service is not unprecedented. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, his father, King Charles, who was then Prince of Wales, often opted to spend Easter at Birkhall in Scotland. Since becoming King, Charles and Queen Camilla have attended the service, with their first appearance in 2023 marking Charles’s first public engagement as monarch following his cancer diagnosis.
Meanwhile, Prince William has had a busy Easter season, attending Aston Villa’s Champions League quarter-final matches against Paris Saint-Germain in Paris and Birmingham with his eldest son, Prince George. His most recent public appearance was in Aberdeen on March 27, where he visited homes built as part of his Homewards initiative to combat homelessness.
Princess Kate also made notable public appearances, including attending the St Patrick’s Day parade with the Irish Guards on March 17. This week, Kensington Palace shared a video of Kate discussing her “spiritual” connection with nature as she took a walk around Lake Windermere with a group of scouts.
