The late Queen is said to have missed the St George’s Chapel service just a handful of times throughout her long reign. She was absent for reportedly the first time in five decades in 2022, having previously only missed the occasion in 1970, when she was on a tour of New Zealand and Australia. The family was instead amply represented by the Prince and Princess of Wales (then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge), who were joined by Prince George and Princess Charlotte, with the group opting for a co-ordinating, spring-like blue colour palette. In 2024, the Princess missed the service as she continued her recovery from cancer; this year, however, she is rumoured to be attending.
‘There is a possibility that we could see the Prince and Princess of Wales with their children at the Easter Sunday service, but this is unlikely to be confirmed until the day,’ royal correspondent Danielle Stacey told HELLO! magazine. ‘Kate is still making a gradual return to her public duties amid her recovery from cancer… But she has made a number of high-profile appearances since the start of the year, including the Holocaust Memorial Day service, Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey and the St Patrick’s Day parade.’
While Kate missed last year’s Easter service due to her ongoing cancer treatment, she is expected to attend this year
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Kate Middleton and William are likely to be joined by their royal cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who may bring their husbands and young children along for the festivities. If so, this would mark the first family Easter for Beatrice’s new daughter, Athena, who was born in January this year. While the Palace has never confirmed whether or not there is a traditional Easter egg hunt at Windsor, Kate once said in a television interview in 2016 that the late Queen would always leave ‘a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay’ for her great-grandchildren – so no doubt there will be a chocolate egg or two up for grabs. At least one similarity, then, between the royals and other families across the country…