Charles sends message of kindness for Easter
And why Sandringham has always been a place of healing for the royals
King Charles was due to attend the Easter Matins service today, where he plans to sit slightly apart from others at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, for the sake of his health. The King is still taking his recovery steadily, although he has been increasingly resuming duties. This will be his first official public appearance, since his diagnosis.
A palace source told The Telegraph it’s a “sign of things heading in the right direction”. We understand the King is keen to attend two key events this summer – Trooping the Colour and the 80th anniversary of D-Day, in June.
On Thursday, the Queen stood in for her husband at the Maundy service at Worcester Cathedral, the first consort to do so, resplendent in twin Cartier flower brooches from the late Queen and a cream cashmere coat by Fiona Clare.
Charles sent an audio message, expressing his great sorrow he could not be there in person. “We need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need,” he said. “It is my special prayer today that Our Lord’s example of serving one another might continue to inspire us and to strengthen all our communities. May God bless you all this Easter.”
Sandringham’s healing powers
While the King continues his recovery, the Princess of Wales headed back to Sandringham after her cancer announcement last weekend. Kerry – who grew up in neighbouring Lincolnshire – knows the area well and wrote about it for The Sunday Telegraph. Here’s an extract:
Sandringham has long been a place of healing, for everyone from the King to the late Queen and Prince Philip. The estate, in Norfolk, is just far enough away to find peace, but not too far as to be inaccessible for trips to London for treatment.
The Royal Family bought it in 1862 and it has been beloved by generation after generation of the royal family. George V described it as, “Dear old Sandringham, the place I love better than anywhere else in the world,” and the late Queen’s father, George VI, wrote, “I have always been happy here and I love the place.”
Both passed away there and while February 6 1952, was the date the late Queen acceded the throne, to her it was always a day of mourning. Such was her lasting grief, every year, after a family Christmas, the Queen would remain in Sandringham until her father’s anniversary, often in the smaller five-bedroom Wood Farm, which is quite a distance from the main house.
Prince Philip retired to Wood Farm, in 2017, aged 96, reading, cooking for himself and driving at high speed around the estate, until he crashed into another vehicle, in 2019, when he was 97.
Now owned by the King, it was again Sandringham which provided the refuge for the monarch on his cancer diagnosis in February and he based himself in Norfolk for his recovery period, travelling to London for treatment. While it has cosy interiors, it is full of an eclectic mix of treasures from its former residents, such as the Faberge egg collection of Queen Alexandra, which not every visitor – including Diana, who hated her Christmases in the house – appreciated. The King has been busy redecorating during his convalescence, updating the interiors, as well as putting in new “health garden” of “healing yew tree hedging” and other plants in front of the house.
So, it’s no surprise Catherine also retreated to her Norfolk home, to spend time with her family, away from the public eye. Anmer Hall, a 10-bed Georgian house on the estate was gifted to the couple by the Queen as a wedding present, in 2011. Not far from the beach, with its bracing winds and fresh air, Sandringham affords the royals a lot of privacy, because locals tend to keep themselves to themselves.
Sarah backs the Princess of Wales
She’s been hit with two cancer diagnoses herself, but that isn’t stopping the Duchess of York publicly backing Catherine, saying she is “full of admiration” for the princess following her cancer announcement.
The Duchess, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and skin cancer this January, said on social media, “All my thoughts and prayers are with the Princess of Wales as she starts her treatment. I know she will be surrounded by the love of her family and everyone is praying for the best outcome. As someone who has faced their own battles with cancer in recent months, I am full of admiration for the way she has spoken publicly about her diagnosis and know it will do a tremendous amount of good to raise awareness. I hope she will now be given the time, space and privacy to heal.”
Another royal, Peter Phillips, rallied to the royal’s cause during an Australian TV interview earlier this week (recorded before her video announcement), praising Catherine as “remarkable in herself.”
Burberry teams up with Charles
We all know Charles adores gardening, and this royal fashion collaboration between Burberry and the King’s Foundation is something we can definitely get behind. The gardens at Highgrove have inspired a collection of silk scarves and Burberry trench coats and is the third partnership between the Royal Warrant-holding fashion brand and Highgrove.
The oversized Castleford trenches have swapped out their check lining for a floral design, in two colours - Ivy with a wildflower printed silk lining, and Hunter with the delphinium lining and are beautiful. Priced £2,490, it’s a good job they won’t go out of style. They’re available in-store and online, here. The four organic silk scarves are made in Italy and on sale at Highgrove, from £120. Buy here.
“Worst ever” statue of Prince Philip to be removed
We think he’d find this quite amusing – but a council has ordered the removal of the “worst-ever” statue of Prince Philip, called The Don, in Cambridge. The £150,000 bronze artwork was commemorating the late Duke of Edinburgh’s 35 years as chancellor of Cambridge University, but the council says it breached planning permission rules. And possibly taste.