Just a few months into the year, 2024 is already a historically significant year for Britain’s royal family, and the traditional Easter church services are no exception. Following King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis in February, and the more recent revelation last week that Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, also has cancer, the typical royal roster attending Easter Sunday has been modified.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will be in attendance at the Easter Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. This is the first major royal public engagement for the king since he announced his health diagnosis. Camilla will stand in for Charles in the traditional Maundy Thursday service ahead of Easter, a historic first.
However, Vanity Fair can confirm that Charles’ son, Prince William, will not be attending the service as he usually does, nor will Princess Kate or the Couple’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The family of five are reportedly spending time together at Sandringham while the children are on a planned four-week break from school, presumably making strides toward the plea Kate made in the video announcing her cancer diagnosis last week for “some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment” for herself and her family.
In the video posted to social media Friday in which she explained her health struggles and why she’s been out of the spotlight for the past several months following the “planned abdominal surgery” that led to the discovery of cancer, the princess said that her primary focus is on her children’s well-being. She said, explaining her absence, “most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay.”
Though the Waleses aren’t physically spending the holiday with the king and queen, VF understands that they are in close touch, with a friend of the family saying that “the king calls daily to check in and make sure Catherine is doing OK.”
Charles also released a public statement of support for his daughter-in-law on Friday, saying he is “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did.”
Last year’s Easter service was also notable in marking the first time the royal family observed the occasion after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and was also the first time that Prince Louis attended the service with the family.