The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children joined the rest of the Royal Family to put on a united front at the latest big gathering of the Firm
Big Royal Family outings featuring the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children can be few and far between. But the Wales family joining the likes of the King, Queen and Princess Anne for the traditional Easter Sunday service delighted royal fans.
It had been three years since they had last been at the ceremony in St George’s Chapel in Windsor. The Waleses missed the service last year as they were spending the weekend with their children in Norfolk, and were absent in 2024 as it came just over a week after Kate released an emotional video message disclosing that she had started a course of preventative chemotherapy.
The family-of-five deciding to be at the service last week comes amid one of the most turbulent times for the royals given the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and him being embroiled in the Epstein scandal. It meant his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, did not attend this year’s outing.
And for former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, William, Kate and their children being there this year was significant. She told the Mirror : “I think the fact that William, Catherine and the children were there this year is proof that the family felt they needed to put on a big show of unity and support for the King.
“George never looks particularly comfortable in front of the cameras to me – and I’m sure he’d much rather have been running around or playing video games in Norfolk! But this is what a life of duty looks like.”
Royal Easter at Windsor this year was a huge contrast to last year’s, which Mounbatten-Windsor attended alongside ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who had been welcomed back into the royal fold.
Others joining the royal party this year were Peter Phillips and his wife-to-be, Harriet Sperling, who announced earlier that week they would be marrying in June. The Easter outing marked the first formal family event Harriet has appeared at, with her daughter Georgina, 15, joining Peter’s daughters Savannah and Isla.
And Jennie added: “I was quite surprised to see Harriet Sperling‘s daughter, Georgina, included in the royal party at such a young age. “It’ll be quite something to tell her school friends! But her mother and soon-to-be stepfather, Peter Phillips, clearly trust her enough to be discreet about her new extended family.”
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Also missing from the service, as they have been for many years now, was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Instead, Meghan shared new videos of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet celebrating Easter at home in California.
Meghan posted clips on Instagram showing the family taking part in an Easter egg hunt, feeding chickens, and enjoying other festivities. In one video, Lilibet walks through the garden wearing bunny ears and carrying a plush rabbit, while Archie decorates Easter eggs in another. Other footage shows the duchess hunting for eggs in a chicken coop, with the caption: “Happy Easter!”
And Jennie explained: “With no Andrew or Sarah, or their daughters , and no Sussex family in the frame, this was a chance for the King and his family to put on a united show of peace and harmony.
“I wouldn’t really describe it as a relaunch, but it was certainly a family looking towards the future rather than dwelling on the scandals and difficulties of the past.”
