Royal Family Holds Easter Service Without Queen Elizabeth II: Pics

Hopping into the vacations! Members of the royal household gathered for his or her annual Easter service with out their matriarch, Queen Elizabeth ll, on Sunday, April 17.
Prince William and Duchess Kate celebrated with their eldest kids: Prince George, 8, and Princess Charlotte, 6. (The couple additionally share Prince Louis, 3.) Throughout Sunday’s service, George and Charlotte donned coordinating blue seems to be — which matched their dad and mom — as they had been noticed coming into mass at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Fortress. Throughout the elementary schoolers’ first official Easter look, additionally they had the possibility to fulfill one of many chapel’s clergymen.
The Duke of Cambridge, 39, and the Duchess of Cambridge, 40, wished their Instagram followers a festivity, as properly. The twosome — who married in April 2011 — shared a “Glad Easter” card on their Story.
Final 12 months, unable to take part of their customary Easter follow with the queen amid the coronavirus pandemic, William and Kate, opted to spend the 2021 vacation conducting an Easter egg hunt for his or her little ones at their nation dwelling in Norfolk, England.
In response to Buckingham Palace, the 95-year-old queen’s Easter weekend is usually “privately spent with household.” Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic has saved the royals from totally gathering since 2019.
Days earlier than the household’s Easter gathering — sans the queen — Elizabeth frolicked with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who paid a go to to her Windsor Fortress residence on their option to the Invictus Video games in The Netherlands. The reunion marked the primary time Harry, 37, and the Fits alum, 40, returned to the U.Okay. as a pair since their 2020 step again from their royal duties.
Whereas her majesty frolicked with Harry and Meghan within the days main as much as the vacation, she missed her Maundy Thursday custom. Pre-pandemic, the queen has historically spent the Thursday earlier than Easter touring to completely different cathedrals throughout the U.Okay. handy out cash in recognition of contribution to group and church.
This 12 months, nonetheless, the monarch didn’t take part within the custom. Her eldest son, Prince Charles, and his spouse, Duchess Camilla, took her place. This was solely the fifth time the queen has missed the service in her 70-plus years on the throne.
Whereas Harry and Meghan’s pre-Easter go to with the queen was The Bench writer’s first time again throughout the pond since settling in California, Harry has been in his native nation on a number of events, together with to attend the funeral of Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, in April 2021. Nevertheless, the BetterUp CIO was not on the household’s memorial for the late Duke of Edinburgh final month.
“It’s disappointing [because there] doesn’t seem like any severe purpose why he can’t be there,” royal knowledgeable Robert Jobson completely instructed Us Weekly in March. “He’s going to a Holland for the Invictus Video games shortly afterwards.”
Forward of the service, the Duke of Sussex sought a judicial evaluation of a house workplace choice, claiming he was unable to personally fund police safety for his household whereas touring overseas. The Sussexes stare son Archie, 2, and daughter Lilibet, 10 months.
“Safety can’t replicate the mandatory police safety wanted while within the U.Okay.,” Harry’s staff stated in a January assertion. “In absence of such safety, Prince Harry and his household are unable to return dwelling.”
Scroll beneath to see extra pictures from the royals’ Easter outing: