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Prince William and Kate Middleton Spend Easter with Family

During Easter, Prince William and Kate Middleton chose to celebrate with the Middleton family instead of participating in the royal family’s traditional gathering. On April 20, while King Charles and Queen Camilla were at St. George’s Chapel for the Easter Matins Service, the Prince and Princess of Wales took their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—over 100 miles away to their country residence in Norfolk.

As reported by Hello! magazine, the family attended the 11 a.m. service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, a place they often visit during Christmas. Following the service, the vicar, Canon Paul Williams, greeted them with hot cross buns as they exited quietly through a back entrance.

Both William, aged 42, and Kate, aged 43, had previously communicated their decision to skip the royal church attendance. This wasn’t their first Christmas away from royal festivities; in 2016, they opted for a holiday service with the Middletons near Kate’s childhood home in Bucklebury. Their children, Prince George, now 11, and Princess Charlotte, 9, joined the family outing during the holiday celebrations, enjoying candy canes post-service. Prince Louis, born in 2018, made his first Christmas appearance in 2022.

William has developed a close bond with Kate’s family, even enjoying a pub outing with her mother, Carole, in April 2024, while Kate underwent treatment for cancer. In January, it was announced that Kate’s cancer was in remission, bringing relief to their family.

The Middletons reside near the Prince and Princess of Wales’ main home in Windsor and play an integral role in the grandchildren’s lives, frequently hosting sleepovers for George, Charlotte, and Louis. A palace insider remarked, “Her parents are an enduring factor in the upbringing of their grandchildren.”

While the family enjoyed a more private Easter this year, they had previously joined the royal family’s Easter church service in 2023, which marked a significant occasion as it was Prince Louis’ first church outing during the holiday. George and Charlotte made their first Easter appearance in the previous year.

Notably, William has participated in the royal Easter gatherings at St. George’s Chapel since childhood. Kate, however, has attended such services fewer times, with her presence recorded in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public gatherings were limited in 2020 and 2021, preventing royal attendance.

In 2014, the couple chose to spend the holiday overseas, attending an Easter service at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney during a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand.

This past Easter Sunday, as William and Kate were absent from the royal family gathering, King Charles and Queen Camilla led a group of royals at the service. Joining them were all of the monarch’s siblings: Princess Anne with Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Andrew with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and Prince Edward with Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.

Representing the next generation of royals were Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who attended with their husbands. James, Earl of Wessex, also joined his parents, walking into the church service with them.

Source
people.com