Why Did Kate Middleton, Prince William, and Their Kids Skip Easter Sunday Services in Windsor?

Kate Middleton, Prince William, and their three children are missing Easter Sunday services in Windsor.

After celebrating the holiday privately last year, in the wake of the Princess of Wales announcing her cancer diagnosis, the Wales family was once again absent from the royal family’s annual attendance at church services in Windsor. The family of five is instead spending Easter at Anmer Hall, their country home in Norfolk. The last time they joined the rest of the royals for Easter was in 2023.

The Wales family attend the Easter Mattins Service at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2023.

While the British royals don’t host a public Easter egg hunt, Kate and William have previously indicated that their children do mark the holiday with one—just as Queen Victoria’s children did decades ago. As Queen Victoria wrote in a journal entry in 1869, “After breakfast, the children, as usual on this day looked for Easter eggs.”

The Princess of Wales has made a measured return to royal duties this year since announcing last September that she had finished chemotherapy and sharing this past January that she was officially in remission. “As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to,” she wrote.

In the months since, she has limited her public engagements; her last public outing was over a month ago, on St. Patrick’s Day, when she attended the Irish Guards’ parade. Earlier this week, Kensington Palace released a short film showing Kate visiting a group of Scouts in the Lake District and speaking about her relationship with nature.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have yet to join the royals on any official events this year, though George did join Prince William at two soccer games recently.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.