Kate & William’s Repeat Easter Escape: Why They’re Opting for Norfolk Again
Real talk: Prince William and Kate Middleton are once again skipping the royal Easter service—this time trading Windsor’s St. George’s Chapel for a quiet Norfolk retreat with their three kids. According to Buckingham Palace’s April 17 announcement, while King Charles and Queen Camilla will lead the Easter Matins Service at Windsor Castle on April 20, the Wales family will hole up at their country home in Norfolk, prioritizing family downtime over tradition.
This isn’t a one‑off detour. William, 42, made his royal Easter debut at age 4 in 1987, matching mom Diana in a robin’s‑egg‑blue coat (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty). He kept the Windsor routine through childhood, but once he married Kate in 2011, the couple missed several Easter outings. In 2014, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent Holy Week on a tour in Australia and New Zealand—skipping Windsor’s service but attending in Sydney without tot Prince George (Samir Hussein/WireImage). The following April, Kate was battling hyperemesis gravidarum ahead of Charlotte’s birth, so they sat out again.
Their first joint Windsor Easter arrived in 2017, where Kate’s perfect curtsy to Queen Elizabeth made headlines (Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty). They returned in 2018—Kate’s final public appearance before Prince Louis’s birth—and again in 2019. The pandemic paused the tradition in 2020 and 2021, but the Wales clan came back strong in 2022, debuting George and Charlotte at St. George’s, followed by Louis’s first appearance in 2023, complete with a coordinated blue ensemble.
This year’s no‑show follows Kate’s disclosure in March that she’s undergoing cancer treatment. PEOPLE Digital reported that Kate stepped back from public duties after announcing her diagnosis, later celebrating chemotherapy completion and entering “remission” in January. With his wife focusing on recovery, William opted for a low‑key Easter at home.
Even Charles and Camilla haven’t always been Easter regulars—during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, they occasionally sat out the Windsor service. So the Wales family’s Norfolk plan fits a broader pattern of royals balancing tradition with personal needs.
Whether you’re all about royal rituals or just here for the people‑meets‑castle vibes, this Easter twist proves that even future kings and queens can swap pews for PJs—especially when family wellness is on the line. If this trend continues, expect more solo royal weekends sans chapel choirs.
Anyway, that’s the vibe. Do with it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine (PEOPLE Digital)
Buckingham Palace announcement
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
