A lot of royal family members will go to a church service at Windsor Castle. today, which is a tradition for them on the important Christian holiday of Easter Sunday.
King Charles will be there as well, in his first significant public appearance after being diagnosed with cancer.
All eyes will be on him as he walks to the chapel with his wife Queen Camilla, where he is expected to wave to onlookers.
He will sit apart from other royals to protect his health, because many cancer treatments make patients more vulnerable due to their effects on the immune system.
The service will be somewhat smaller compared to normal, as the heir to the throne and his family will not be there.
Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, announced last week that she is having preventive chemotherapy for cancer and will be away from the public eye while she recovers.
Her husband Prince William and children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will be spending the holiday with her for a private family gathering.
Which members of the royal family will be at the Easter Sunday service in Windsor?
Buckingham Palace has not specifically announced which royals will attend and only gave details that Kate and her family will be away as they are spending the Easter holidays recuperating in Sandringham.
The King’s other son Prince Harry will also be absent from the service, as he no longer takes an active role in royal life after moving to California with wife Meghan and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
However, the King’s brother Prince Andrew and his daughters are expected to attend.
The King’s sister Princess Anne (the Princess Royal) is also expected to be in attendance.
Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, should also be at the service.
What are other royal family Easter traditions?
The Windsor Castle church service is the most traditional royal gathering at Easter (at Christmas, they opt for the church in Sandringham, Norfolk, instead).
The Easter service is usually followed by a reception, and an annual Easter family lunch.
However, this year the King will miss these events while he focuses on recovery.
On Maundy Thursday (the last Thursday before Easter), the late Queen Elizabeth started a tradition of attending a special service where she would give special ‘Maundy Money’ coins to pensioners to thank them for their contributions.
King Charles and Camilla continued this tradition last year but this year were unable to for health reasons.
The royals don’t talk much about their own Easter eggs – although they have been gifted some beautiful ones, as you’d imagine – but several palaces have hosted egg hunts for children including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
.
