Driving home their commitment to put their kids first, Prince William and Kate Middleton have announced that they will not attend the annual royal family Easter service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor on Sunday, as their kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis remain on Easter break from school. George, Charlotte, and Louis return to the classroom on April 24, and the Wales family of five will celebrate Easter on April 20 at their country home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, according to The Mirror.
Driving home William and Kate’s commitment to dial back royal duty while the kids are on school breaks, the outlet reported that the Prince of Wales told his father King Charles of his family’s intention to miss the public Easter service to “enjoy some extended time as a family over Easter,” a source said. “They are choosing to spend time together as a family before the children go back to school.”
This marks the second year in a row that the Wales family has skipped Easter services. They were also absent last year, as Easter—which was on March 31 in 2024—was just days after Kate announced to the world that she had been diagnosed with cancer in a vulnerable and brave video message on March 22. (The Princess of Wales announced in January that she is in remission.) Prior to 2024, William, Kate, and the kids had been fixtures at the yearly royal staple.
“Like many famous parents, they are cautious about exposing the children to too much scrutiny in this digital age,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward told Hello! last year. “They know they must produce the children at certain times, but I think they very much keep them under wraps the rest of the time.” As to how George, Charlotte, and Louis get along, “The three of them seem to get on incredibly well,” Seward added. “They’re close in age, they all enjoy sports, they’re bound by the situation they’re in, and they’re all in it together. And I think that makes them all closer.”
Per People, we might have an idea as to what William, Kate, and the kids might be doing on Easter Sunday thanks to a tidbit William and Kate shared about their Easter traditions back in 2020. They said that Easter is marked with a traditional Easter egg hunt and that plenty of candy is always eaten, with William remarking, “There will be a lot of chocolate being eaten here, don’t worry!” To this, Kate turned to her husband with a laugh and cheekily said, “You keep eating it!”