The King and Queen call for peace at Easter
Charles, Camilla, Anne and Andrew attend a service at Windsor - but William and Catherine stay at home
Happy Easter! It’s been another week of deepening rifts with Harry and his family, as it was revealed the Duke of Sussex’s calls to his family are going unanswered and he didn’t know his father was re-admitted to hospital in March, until he read about it in the media. In fact, as we reported in last week’s newsletter, Harry feels betrayed by his family and, as he attended court over the removal of his security in the UK, he’s allegedly convinced it’s all part of a plan to force him back into the establishment.
Meanwhile, his father called for love and peace in his Easter message and turned out for the traditional Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. The King, Queen, Princess Anne and husband Timothy Laurence, were in attendance, alongside Prince Andrew and ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York. However, the Prince and Princess of Wales were not there, as they were spending the weekend with their children at home in Norfolk.
This idea of unity was reinforced by the King’s Easter message, released before Maundy Thursday. “The abiding message of Easter is that God so loved the world – the whole world – that he sent his son to live among us to show us how to love one another, and to lay down his own life for others in a love that proved stronger than death,” he said. “There are three virtues that the world still needs – faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.”
Was it a message of peace for his youngest son? You can’t help but think so.
The King and Queen attended the annual Maundy Thursday service at Durham Cathedral, during which Maundy recipients – 76 men and 76 women – were presented with two purses: one red and one white, containing Maundy Money, a traditional gift given to reward their Christian service.
Kate gets back to nature
We love the Princess of Wales is championing issues close to her heart and when she released a video this week, in conjunction with the Scouts, you can see how genuinely she believes in the message. Catherine is joint president of the Scouts and put out a video promoting how nature is good for your mental health. Explaining she had found a “very spiritual, very intense” connection to nature, during her cancer treatment, she said, “I find it a very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection I suppose, these environments. Not everyone has that same relationship, perhaps, with nature, but it is therefore meaningful for me as a place to balance and find a sort of sense of peace and reconnection in what is otherwise a very busy world.” The princess was in the Lake District with Dwayne Fields, the new Chief Scout, plus young scout members.
William employs Meghan whistleblower
We’re not sure how this will go down Stateside - well, actually, we are. Prince William has promoted the royal aide who blew the whistle on Meghan’s allegedy bullying in the Palace. Jason Knauf, one of Prince William’s most trusted aides, has been appointed chief executive of his Earthshot Prize. He takes over from Hannah Jones, who spent four years at the helm and will oversee the fifth awards, in Rio, in November. Jason has worked for William and Catherine for seven years, first as communications secretary and then as chief executive of The Royal Foundation.
President Trump returns to Windsor
He’s a well-known fan of the Royal Family and it’s reported Donald Trump will visit Windsor Castle in September. In February, the King invited the President to Balmoral, but it’s understood Trump prefers to come to Windsor later in the summer. It was here he previously met the late Queen in 2018. On Thursday, the US President told The Telegraph, “It’s a very great honour. And I think they’re setting a date for September. It’s an honour to be a friend of Charles. I have great respect for King Charles and the family... William… I don’t know how it could be bigger than the last one,” he continued. “The last one, as you know, was incredible, but they said it’s going to be even more important.” However, looks like he may be trumped by French President Macron, as reports suggest Charles has invited him over for his first State Visit at the end of May.
Royally-approved choccy
Our guess is the royals are tucking into some Prestat eggs this year, as the royal chocolatier has held a warrant for decades and received an updated one from the King - as opposed to Cadbury’s which got the choccy-chop. We know we’ve missed the egg hunt, but we love the look of this Pink Champagne egg, which is on sale for £31.20.
Happy Birthday, Louis!
Our mischievous prince celebrates his 7th birthday this Wednesday (which is also the day of St George - England’s patron saint) and the birthday of his cousin Lady Gabriella Kingston (née Windsor), daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, who turns 44. And finally, we couldn’t finish this week’s newsletter without mentioning a special heavenly birthday - our beloved Queen Elizabeth II would have been 99 tomorrow - 21 April. Happy birthday, Ma’am!