King Charles leads royals to traditional church service in first Easter since death of the Queen
9 April 2023, 12:08 | Updated: 9 April 2023, 14:07
The royal family have attended an Easter Sunday church service en masse, with many wearing royal blue for the occasion.
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King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, the Prince William and Kate Middleton with their children went to St George's Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle for Easter Sunday matins.
The Princess of Wales arrived hand-in-hand with her youngest son Prince Louis, while Prince George and Princess Charlotte walked on ahead with their father William, the Prince of Wales.
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Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, Charles' siblings, were also seen walking into the church on Sunday morning.
Zara Phillips, Anne's daughter and her husband Mike Tindall attended the service alongside their eldest children Mia and Lena.
Prince Edward, the new Duke of Edinburgh and his wife the duchess followed along with their eldest son James, who is now the Earl of Wessex.
Princess Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence walked with the former Queen's niece Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband Daniel.
Princess Eugenie, heavily pregnant, and her husband Jack Brooksbank, also attended.
This Sunday is likely to be an occasion of mixed feelings for the royals, as it marks the first Easter since the death of the Queen, who was known to love this time of year.
It also marks the second anniversary of the death of Prince Philip, who died on April 9, 2021, after coming home from hospital.
It comes as Christian leaders in the UK and around the world also celebrated Easter services on Sunday.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said the Church of England provides a "force of life and hope" against threat as he hailed its work in facilitating peace in his sermon.
The Most Rev Justin Welby told Canterbury Cathedral of the Church's work in Mozambique and Northern Ireland.
He said: "Christians worked with the UN to set up 200 peace clubs in partnership with Muslim leaders so as to provide a force of life and hope against the death cult of Isis operating in Cabo Delgado, the northern part of Mozambique."
The archbishop went on to reference the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement signed 25 years ago, highlighting the "extraordinary and courageous work" of those involved in reaching it."
"It was churches and monasteries compelled by the living Christ who spent years before 1998 secretly, at huge risk, building the bridges that opened the way for the first ceasefires and considerations of peace," Mr Welby said.
He added that the recent Windsor Framework was a reminder that reconciliation and peace are not "one-off events" but "long journeys requiring determination, stamina and faith".
Mr Welby told the congregation: "The ultimate test of a leader or of a nation is that justice and righteousness are the victors of conflict."
He referenced the Church's response to historical investment in slavery, insisting it is not driven by "ambivalent wokery" but "the living presence of Christ".
Meanwhile Pope Francis also celebrated Easter Sunday Mass in St Peter's Square in Rome.
Tens of thousands of worshippers were in the congregation for the Catholic service. Pope Francis was forced to stand down for the Good Friday service by unseasonably cold weather, as a precaution after he was hospitalised with bronchitis at the end of March.
