Princess Kate Middleton was not in attendance as members of the royal family celebrated Easter at a Sunday, March 31, church service.
Kate, 42, Prince William and their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, opted to spend the holiday together in private amid the Princess of Wales’ cancer battle. Meanwhile, King Charles III — who is also in the process of cancer treatments — Queen Camilla and other royals were present for the service at St Georges Chapel in Windson, England on Sunday.
Crowds gathered in anticipation outside St George’s Chapel in Windsor, England on Sunday, March 31, to share their support and get a glimpse of the King.
The monarch, 75, arrived in his maroon state Bentley limousine for the service and looked in good spirits as he smiled and waved to crowds before entering the chapel.
During the ceremony, the monarch sat in the “Sovereign’s Seat”, which is situated near to the front of the alter while his family, including siblings Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew, took their usual places in the stalls.
When Charles and Camilla, who was wearing a green coat dress by Anna Valentine, a hat by Phillip Treacy and an emerald diamond brooch that was the late queen’s, left the little over an hour-long service, they delighted the awaiting crowds as they shook hands and spoke to wellwishers lined up at Windsor.
“After the service, their majesties conducted a walkabout in the castle grounds to thank memebers of the congregation, estate workers, and general public who had kindly turned out to show their support,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Us Weekly.
The service is an annual tradition for the royal family. In April 2023, William, 41, and Kate were accompanied by all three of their children at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. The kids, who wore blue ensembles that coordinated with their parents’ outfits, were spotted holding hands with William and Kate as they entered the church.
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This year, the family of five’s circumstances are different as Kate has been on a break from royal engagements since undergoing abdominal surgery in January. She then announced earlier this month that she was diagnosed with cancer following her operation and is in “the early stages” of “preventative chemotherapy.”
While Kate noted that the news came as a “huge shock” to her, she emphasized that she and William “have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.” She asked for “time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment” and as she focuses on “making a full recovery.”
Although Kate learned of her diagnosis in late February, she and William “wanted to wait to tell the world the news until their children were off school for the Easter break so they could have time to process the news before the whole world was talking about [it],” a source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month.
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Amid Kate’s health crisis, William — whom she married in April 2011 — “is trying to be there for Kate and helping in every way he can,” a second insider revealed. “He’s been doing schoolwork with the kids and spending time with them in the afternoons and evenings.”
As for how the children are coping, the source noted that they “know their mother is sick and is trying to get better.”
Kate was initially expected to return to work after Easter, but since discovering that she has cancer, Kensington Palace has shared that she will resume her “official duties when she is cleared to do so by her medical team.” The second insider told Us that Kate “is unsure when she will feel ready to step out” again, but it is “up to her when it comes to getting back in the public eye.”
