William, Kate and children join traditional royal Easter service

The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children have attended the traditional Easter service for the first time since Kate’s cancer diagnosis.

Kate and William were among senior members of the royal family to join the King and Queen at the Easter Matins service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on Sunday.

William waved to the large crowd outside the castle as the pair led a procession to the service with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Charlotte was in a tan coat and Kate wore an off-white ensemble of skirt, smart jacket and leafy hat, while William and the boys wore dark blue suits and ties.

Camilla arrived in red wool dress and coat by Fiona Clare, a hat by Phillip Treacy and a broach which belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

More than a hundred people gathered expectantly outside the castle, some holding banners or flags and one boy was dressed as a King’s Guard.

The Waleses missed the service last year as they were spending the weekend with their children in Norfolk, and were absent in 2024 as it came just over a week after Kate released an emotional video message disclosing that she had started a course of preventative chemotherapy.

Charles and Camilla arrived by car in front of the castle to a shout of “God save the King” from the crowd on Sunday morning.

At the end of the service, the Queen was presented with a posey of flowers by 10-year-old Kit Bannan in front of the applauding crowd.

Onlookers were eager to tell the King and Queen how far they had come to see them, with some having travelled from Germany, Hungary, Northern Ireland and Cumbria.

The King remarked: “I have very happy memories of Hungary years ago.”

Another man in the crowd thanked the King for all he “did for the Jewish community” in the UK.

The Waleses and their children all waved to the crowds after the service to cries of “Happy Easter” from those in attendance.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were not in attendance, having received agreement from the King to make alternative plans.

Last year, Charles and Camilla were joined by the former Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson at the 15th century chapel on Easter Sunday.

Since then, Andrew has been stripped by the King of his right to be a prince and his Dukedom over his association with notorious paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

He was later arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Beatrice and Eugenie, who are the King’s nieces and have kept their titles as princesses, joined the royal family for Christmas at Sandringham in December.

It is understood they will be at family celebrations in the future.

The Princess Royal and Duke of Edinburgh were also in attendance.

The Duchess of Edinburgh did not join her husband at the service as she is under the weather, the Press Association understands.