THEon Easter Sunday last year he saw a large group of Royals engaged in the usual walk in Windsor. The traditional procession that leads from the castle to the chapel of San Giorgio for the morning rite saw 14 members of the royal family parade through the waiting crowd. Twelve months later, however, the situation appears very different. Following King Charles and Queen Camilla there will be very few relatives. A decision, regarding the number, which seems to have been dictated by Prince William.
Who will be with King Charles at Easter
The Yorks – Andrea and Sarah – will not be there, also put on hold by family celebrations. But William would have given yet another ultimatum to his father: if they will be in Windsor cousins Beatrice and Eugeniahe, Kate and their children George, Charlotte and Louis will not show up.
William to Carlo: «If Beatrice and Eugenia are there, we won’t come»
All this risks ruining Royal Easter. The reasons for Beatrice and Eugenia’s absence will be felt. William’s request to his father would have been made already in the aftermath of Andrea’s arrest, last February, with the intention of distancing himself as much as possible from the ruined York brand. But behind the smiles that the Royals will show off for the occasionthere will certainly be uncertainty and concern about how the public will interpret this new, further streamlined monarchy.
The princes of Wales with their children George, Charlotte and Louis in Windsor for the Easter rite, April 2023 (Getty Images)
William and Kate will also go to the Middletons
Few will even stop for lunch at Carlo’s. After the religious ceremony in Windsor, the Princes of Wales – who have spent Easter elsewhere for the last two years – they will take their children to their Middleton grandparents. With Carlo and Camilla they will sit at the table forEaster Lunchthe traditional Easter lunch, only Anne of England and her husband Timothy Laurence, the Dukes of Edinburgh, Edward and Sophie, with their respective children. But what will they eat?
At the table, roast lamb with vegetables grown by Carlo
Even at Easter, Carlo follows the ancient Royal traditions. Starting from the private lunch menu, focused on the roast of lamb from one of the king’s flocks. Royal Chef Mark Flanagan, who had arrived the previous evening from Buckingham Palace, prepares various side dishes himself with seasonal vegetables, grown on the sovereign’s estates. This is then followed by courses of fruit and cheese, including some rather special types, very dear to the king.
There is never a shortage of cheese on the king’s table Made in Windsor
The chefs who worked for the Royal Family reveal that, for Easter lunch, Carlo never fails to have a selection of cheeses from Windsor Dairya dairy located within the estate which bears the name of the famous thousand-year-old castle. Fresh products intended exclusively for the royal house are produced here, including some artisanal cheeses served together with seasonal fruit, such as the famous white peaches from the Windsor orchards.
Easter egg hunt in the garden
After lunch, while the adults relax in the living room or, if the weather is nice, in the garden, the children present launch into a frenetic and noisy Easter egg hunt along the paths of the estate. The eggs, hand-coloured by the Royals and by the valets responsible for organizing the event, they are hidden since the morning in remote corners. Lady Diana, in particular, was always among the first to volunteer and often went wild together with her sons William and Harry.
King Charles has given up on the Easter speech
This will be a different Easter for the British also because, for the first time since he ascended to the throne, Charles will not spread a recorded greeting message. According to some experts on English royal affairs, the monarch – who has so far not spoken out on the scandal caused by Andrea and the withdrawal of his titles – has decided to abstain this year to avoid any reference to the current crisis.
Charles and Camilla in St George’s Chapel for the Easter service, Windsor, April 2024 (IPA)
King Charles’ message for Ramadan, but not for Easter
Carlo justified himself: the Easter speech is not an annual tradition. Even his mother, Elizabeth II, did not say it every year. But the decision sparked a rather heated public debate: why did the king instead release a message for Ramadan at the beginning of the year? Despite being, by his will, a defender of all religious faiths, Charles has been accused of neglecting the Anglican church, of which he heads.
