Soon, Prince Harry will be spending Easter weekend at his California home creating treasured memories with his wife Meghan Markle and their two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
On Easter Sunday, his father, King Charles, will be present at the yearly Easter Mattins Service held in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Harry, who previously mentioned in his memoir, Spare, that his dad would “always make a big deal about Easter,” will undoubtedly find this weekend particularly meaningful.
The Duke of Sussex recounted a time when the Prince and Princess of Wales were furious over “Easter presents” in one of his chapters, which describes the strained relationship between him and his brother Prince William.
“Willy and Kate were apparently upset that we hadn’t given them Easter presents,” he wrote in a letter. “Easter gifts? Was that something at all? I had never exchanged Easter gifts with Willy. Of course, Pa always made a big deal out of Easter, but that was just Pa.”
In a later chapter of his book, Prince Harry recalls with nostalgia the “simple Easter Sundays” of September 2022, the year he attended his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at St. George’s Chapel.
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“Amid the cacophony of numerous bagpipers as we arrived at St. George’s Chapel, I reminisced about all the significant events I had shared within its walls. A farewell to Grandpa, my wedding.
“Even the routine Easter Sundays felt particularly meaningful because the entire family was present and spending time together. I was wiping my eyes suddenly. Why this time? I pondered. Why? Meg and I departed for America the following afternoon.”
During this religious holiday, members of the British royal family often gather in Windsor. The Easter Sunday service is held in the 14th-century private chapel of St George’s Chapel, which is situated in the castle’s Lower Ward.
Before the service starts, large crowds congregate here to greet the royal family, and many of the ladies afterwards receive bouquets from neighbourhood kids who attended church as well.
Throughout the years, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, and their families, as well as other immediate and extended family members, have joined Queen Elizabeth II for Easter services.
But this year, in light of Kate’s cancer diagnosis—which she disclosed last Friday—which was found in post-operative tests after her major abdominal surgery, Prince William, Princess Kate, and their kids will spend Easter together in private rather than attending church on Sunday.
