Prince William and Kate Middleton: A Surprising Decision to Sit Out Royal Easter Celebrations with Their Children

There will be no Easter outing for Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis this year.

While King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other royal family members plan to attend the Easter Matins Service at Windsor Castle on Sunday, April 20, the Prince and Princess of Wales will instead spend the weekend with their children at their country home in Norfolk.

Although Kate and William have regularly participated in this gathering, they missed last year’s event due to Princess Kate’s cancer diagnosis, which was announced shortly before the holiday. This year, in January, the Princess of Wales revealed that her cancer is in remission.

Prince William, 42, and Princess Kate, 43, last celebrated Easter with the royal family in 2023, when Prince Louis, now 6, took part for the first time. (Prince George, 11, and Princess Charlotte, 9, made their royal Easter debuts the year before.)

The Prince and Princess of Wales previously shared that their children enjoy Easter traditions, including a fun egg hunt!

William also mentioned that the holiday typically involves plenty of candy, during their first full royal engagement via video call amid the pandemic in 2020.

“There will be a lot of chocolate being eaten here, don’t worry!” he said.

Kate added with a laugh, turning to her husband, “You keep eating it!”

Recently, the Prince and Princess of Wales have mostly stayed out of the public eye, reducing their royal duties to spend quality time with their children during their school break.

During this break, the family reportedly went on a ski trip in the French Alps. Additionally, Prince William and Prince George made a trip to Paris to cheer for their favorite soccer team, Aston Villa, in their match against Paris Saint-Germain on April 9.

In remarks to TNT Sports, Prince William stated, “I thought, it’s been 43 years since anything like this has happened in my generation as a Villa fan, and I want George to experience a night out away from home in a big European competition,” referring to the team’s first European quarterfinal in that span. “I hope it’s not 43 years until the next time it happens, but I think those memories are really important to create and to bring him along tonight is a big deal for me.”

The father and son also attended the rematch in Birmingham on April 15.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have increasingly joined their parents at various royal events over the years, including the family’s annual church outing on Christmas Day and Trooping the Colour, which celebrates the British monarch’s birthday each June.

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward commented last year, “Like many famous parents, they are cautious about exposing the children to too much scrutiny in this digital age. They understand the need to present their children at specific times, but they keep them out of the spotlight as much as possible otherwise.”

Regarding their sibling dynamic, Seward noted, “The three of them seem to get along incredibly well. They’re close in age, they all enjoy sports, and they share the unique circumstances of their lives, which brings them closer together.”