King Charles hoping to attend ‘Easter Lite’ Sunday service

The King is hoping to step out in public next Sunday to lead a reduced royal contingent at the traditional Easter Matins service.

Charles, 75, accompanied by the Queen, will attend the annual service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, if his health allows.

The King has stepped back from public duties on medical advice as he undergoes cancer treatment, to avoid the risks associated with large crowds.

The royal turnout on Easter Sunday will therefore be considerably smaller than usual to minimise his contact with others, an outing dubbed “Easter Lite”.

“The King and Queen are hoping to attend some form of Easter service in Windsor,” a palace source confirmed. “However, it will not be the large family gathering that we might expect to see in different circumstances.”

Kensington Palace has confirmed that the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children will not attend.

The Princess revealed on Friday that she was having treatment for cancer. Her video message was released just as Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, five, broke up from school. The family have now retreated from the public eye for the school holidays as the Prince and Princess seek to protect their children from the media coverage surrounding her diagnosis.

In recent years, the Easter Matins service has seen almost as big a royal turnout as the traditional Christmas Day outing, with most senior royals photographed strolling through the grounds of Windsor Castle in the spring sunshine with various children in tow.

Last year, it was Prince Louis, then four, who captured the headlines, as he joined his family at church for the first time, dressed smartly in a shirt and tie and clasping his mother’s hand.

The occasion marked one of the first large public gatherings of the Royal family since the death of Elizabeth II in September 2022 and they were out in force.

The King and Queen were followed by the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Prince and Princess of Wales with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and the then Earl and Countess of Wessex with their son James.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were there with their husbands, Eduardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, as were Mike and Zara Tindall with their two daughters Mia and Lena.

Next week, by comparison, the vastly reduced royal contingent will serve as a visual reminder of the health woes that have befallen the family in recent months and the ensuing changes to the senior line-up.

Ever since his cancer diagnosis, the King has been determined to maintain a public profile, reassuring the nation that his hand remains on the tiller and that he is continuing his state duties.

As such, he has also recorded an audio message that will be played at the Royal Maundy Thursday service at Worcester Cathedral this week, when he will be represented by the Queen.

He was unable to provide a video message as the cathedral does not have the technological capacity to broadcast it during the service.

Camilla, 76, will distribute Maundy money on behalf of her husband, taking on the ancient custom for the first time.

Maundy money is given to a number of male and female recipients equivalent to the monarch’s age and is delivered in two purses, one red and one white.

Retired pensioners who have supported the church and their local communities are recommended by clergy of all denominations to receive the gifts.

After Easter, the King and Queen will step back from their duties as they go away for their annual Easter break.

The last time the Royal family was out en masse was on Christmas Day.

Then, both the King and the Princess led the traditional walk to church, oblivious to the health woes that would befall them in a matter of weeks.

The cancer treatment both are now undergoing means that a large family gathering is unlikely for the foreseeable future.

Trooping the Colour on June 15, followed two days later by Garter Day, could have a very different feel if both the King and the Princess are unable to take part as per tradition.

Charles is said to be determined to take part in Trooping, his official birthday celebration, and Buckingham Palace is drawing up plans that would allow him to attend during his cancer treatment without any undue risk to his health.

Options may include watching the colourful military parade from a podium, rather than on horseback, and being driven from Buckingham Palace in a carriage.

The Colonel’s Review, which takes place a week before Trooping the Colour, was this year scheduled to be taken by the Princess of Wales, as Colonel of the Irish Guards, whose colour - or regimental flag - is being trooped.

The Princess’s ongoing cancer treatment, a course of chemotherapy which she acknowledged is still in the early stages, and her request for privacy until it is completed, suggests it is unlikely she will take part.