King Charles and royals to gather for emotional Easter Sunday service

King Charles, Queen Camilla and senior royals have gathered at Windsor Castle for the first Easter Sunday service of the new monarch’s reign.

The Firm is out in force at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of the Berkshire estate for the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins.

It will be a bittersweet moment for the family, with the 15th century chapel being the late Queen’s final resting place and the service the first to take place since her passing.

The occasion also marks the second anniversary of the death of her beloved husband Prince Philip, who is buried beside her in the tiny King George VI Memorial Chapel.

A staple in the royal calendar, the family was pictured enjoying the bright spring sunshine before the morning service.

On what is also their 18th wedding anniversary, Charles and Camilla arrived wearing matching royal blue outfits, with the King in a suit and the Queen Consort wearing a long dress.

They were followed by the Duke of York and the Princess Royal.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were joined by their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.

Kate wore a marine blue dress and matching pill-box hat.

William and Prince George walked side by side wearing matching navy suits, while Princess Charlotte held her father’s hand.

Prince Louis, attending the service for the first time, wore a suit jacket and light blue shorts.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex arrived with their son James, Viscount Severn.

Princess Beatrice and her husband, Eduardo Mapelli Mozzi, also attended the service, as did her sister Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and Zara and Mike Tindall and their two daughters, Mia and Lena.

Following the service, the family will sit down for a roast dinner together, tucking into items sourced from royal estates, such as venison, spring vegetables, new potatoes, carrots, salmon and roast ham.

It is thought Charles may relax one of the late Queen’s dinner rules for the occasion.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said: ‘They will all have dinner together but not the young children they will eat in the nursery dining room.

‘The Queen always said until they could hold a knife and fork properly they could not eat at the table, but Charles might have relaxed that rule a bit. But dinner is only for grown-ups.’

There is also said to be a new role for the Princess of Wales – organising the Easter egg hunt for the royal children.

Ms Seaward told The Sun: ‘Kate is a great organiser and will almost certainly organise an Easter egg hunt – the children can also go to the royal mews and see the horses there and there is an indoor pool for swimming and ponies for them to ride.’

Charles, as monarch, has succeeded his mother to become the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

In less than a month’s time, he will be crowned alongside Camilla in a religious service in Westminster Abbey.

As the Prince of Wales, Charles often released an Easter message and last year highlighted the millions of displaced people ‘wounded by the past, fearful of the future’, but this year has not, likely to be a reflection of his new role as head of state.

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