Kate and William lead royals at annual Easter Sunday service in Windsor - as Queen stays at home
The Queen did not attend the annual royal event at St George's Chapel in Windsor as she has been experiencing mobility issues.
Sunday 17 April 2022 15:27, UK
The Queen's grandchildren and great-grandchildren were out in force for the annual Easter Sunday service.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were joined by their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte for the annual Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel in Windsor.
The event is a staple in the royal calendar, and was also attended by Peter Phillips and his children Savannah and Isla, while Zara and Mike Tindall took their eldest daughter Mia.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex arrived with their children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, while Princess Eugenie was also present.
The Queen, who has been experiencing mobility issues, did not attend the service and it is thought she is spending the day surrounded by family instead.
The public should now start to assume she will no longer be at public events, a palace source told The Mail on Sunday.
She had a visit from her grandson, the Duke of Sussex, and his wife the Duchess of Sussex, in Windsor on Thursday.
Harry and Meghan had flown from their home in the US and stopped off in England before heading to The Hague in the Netherlands for the Invictus Games this weekend.
The couple also met Charles before making their first public appearance together in Europe since quitting as senior working royals more than two years ago.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, who represented the Queen at Thursday's Royal Maundy service at the same chapel, also did not attend the Easter Sunday service today.
But ahead of the service, Prince Charles shared his Easter message and said he felt moved by the number of people who are willing to open their doors to some of the millions of refugees "wounded by the past, fearful of the future".
It comes after more than 200,000 people in Britain have expressed an interest in opening their homes to Ukrainian refugees under the government's Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme.
Charles also nodded to the role his late father the Duke of Edinburgh played during the many Maundy services he attended, when he would "read the Gospel which tells how on the night of the Last Supper, Jesus knelt before his disciples and washed their travel-weary feet".
The Prince of Wales said in his message: "Today, millions of people find themselves displaced, wearied by their journey from troubled places, wounded by the past, fearful of the future - and in need of a welcome, of rest and of kindness.
"Over the past years, I have found myself heartbroken at the sufferings of the innocent victims of conflict, or persecution, some of whom I have met and who have told me stories of unutterable tragedy as they have been forced to flee their country and seek shelter far from home.
"But amidst all this sadness and inhumanity, it has been profoundly moving to see how so many people are ready to open their homes to those in need, and how they have offered their time and their resources to help those facing such soul-destroying sorrow and hardship."