he King and Queen Consort delighted crowds as they arrived at Windsor Castle for the first Easter Sunday service of Charles’s reign.
The royal family gathered at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of the Berkshire castle for the traditional Easter Day Mattins.
Charles and Camilla arrived wearing matching royal blue outfits, with the King in a suit and the Queen Consort wearing a long dress.
Camilla waved to members of the public and wished them a “Happy Easter”, before getting into a waiting car.
Charles also greeted the crowd, receiving a round of applause as he left a few minutes later.
They were followed by the Duke of York and the Princess Royal.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
/ PAThe Prince and Princess of Wales were pictured arriving on Sunday morning with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince 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.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attended with their son James, the Earl of Wessex.
Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo 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.
A staple in the royal calendar, last year’s event saw Kate and William attend in the spring sunshine with their two eldest children.
King Charles III and the Queen Consort arriving
/ PAIt is likely to be a moving moment for the royal family as the 15th century chapel was the late Queen’s final resting place. It is also the first Easter Sunday service since her death.
Elizabeth II is buried in the church’s tiny King George VI Memorial Chapel, alongside Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, and her late parents George VI and the Queen Mother, with their four names inscribed on a new black stone slab set in the floor.
The Windsors gathered at St George’s in September for the monarch and royal matriarch’s televised committal service and then private burial following her state funeral in Westminster Abbey.
The late Queen missed last April’s Easter Sunday service due to mobility problems.
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.
