King and Queen attend Easter Sunday church service
Watch: The King and Queen wave to crowds as they arrive for the Easter Sunday service
- Published
King Charles and Queen Camilla have attended a church service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle as part of their Easter celebrations.
The traditional Easter Matins service was held in the 15th Century chapel in Windsor, Berkshire.
Most other members of the Royal Family, including the Duke of York, were also present for the service - apart from the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, who spent the weekend on holiday in Norfolk.
Following the service, the King and Queen were wished a "Happy Easter" by those gathered outside, and the Queen received a bouquet from a young girl.
Prince Andrew arrived with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, in a car along with Princess Anne and her husband Sir Tim Laurence.
Andrew missed the Royal Family's traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham last year amid the controversy surrounding his links to an alleged Chinese spy.
Princess Anne chatted at some length with the Dean of Windsor, the Right Rev Christopher Cocksworth outside, while Prince Andrew quickly walked inside for the service.
Sisters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice were joined by their husbands, while the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh arrived alongside their son, James.
As they walked to the church in front of crowds of royal fans, it became apparent that 17-year-old James is now noticeably taller than his father, Prince Edward.
Prince Edward with son James and wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, followed by Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank, with Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the back
Teenager James, who towered over his father as they walked side-by-side, has the official title of Earl of Wessex
On Thursday, the King and Queen took part in the traditional Maundy Thursday service, held this year at Durham Cathedral.
The service followed the King's Easter message, which sought to bring unity between different faiths and recognise those who provide humanitarian aid in wars and disasters.
"One of the puzzles of our humanity is how we are capable of both great cruelty and great kindness," he said.
Meanwhile, the Easter sermon traditionally given by the Archbishop of Canterbury and seen as the Church of England's primary religious message for the weekend, was instead delivered by the Archbishop of York at York Minster.
In his sermon, the archbishop called for peace in a "troubled world", listing Israel and Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan and DR Congo as "places of conflict that convulse our world".
He also spoke against "the madness of a world which 'others' others, drives wedges between communities, breeds hatred and promotes greed".
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has temporarily taken over as head of the Church of England while a new Archbishop of Canterbury is selected
Justin Welby, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, resigned in November after facing increasing pressure to stand down over his failure to report prolific child abuser John Smyth. But his replacement has not yet been appointed.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has also faced calls to resign over his handling of the case.
On Saturday, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales prayed for those caught up in "endless conflicts" and wars around the world in his Easter Vigil homily.
Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said: "We pray for peace. We pray especially for those about whom it has been said, in recent times, that 'all hell' will be unleashed on them. May that never be so!"
Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
- Published12 April
