Queen to Miss Traditional Easter Sunday Service at St George’s Chapel

Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday that the Queen will not be attending the traditional Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel in Windsor this year.

Her absence is due to her ongoing health struggles, which have been causing mobility issues in recent months.

As a result, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall represented her at the Royal Mournday service at Windsor today.

Instead of being in Windsor for Easter, the royal couple will be taking a short spring break at their Scottish home, Bourke Hall, located on the Balmoral Estate.

It remains uncertain which members of the Royal Family will be present in Windsor on Easter Sunday, but in previous years, it has been customary for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to gather.

This will mark the first time in five decades that the Queen has missed the Easter Sunday service.

The last time she was absent was in 1970 when she was on a tour of New Zealand and Australia.

The Queen also missed the Mournday service during that time.

The significance of this year's Easter Sunday falls on the one-year anniversary of Prince Philip's funeral, which took place at St George's Chapel on April 17, 2021.

Charles and Camilla joined the congregation at St George's Chapel today for the Mournday Thursday service, an important event in the royal calendar.

Last Friday, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen would not be able to participate in the Mournday service and that Charles would fulfill the ancient duty of distributing Mournday money to community stewards.

The Queen has been carrying out virtual events and her other duties as head of state, but due to her inability to commit to the service, Charles was asked to represent her to avoid any last-minute cancellations.

The Queen has a long-standing history with the Royal Mournday service, having first attended as Princess Elizabeth in 1935.

Although she usually takes part in the event every year, there have been occasions during her reign when she has missed the service.

This includes times following childbirth and when she was traveling to other parts of the Commonwealth.

In the early years of her reign, the Queen decided to expand the distribution of Mournday money beyond London.

She began traveling to various cathedrals or abbeys to personally give gifts to local people who had made significant contributions to their communities.

By 2017, she had visited every Anglican cathedral in England for the Mournday service.

During today's Royal Mournday service, Charles and Camilla were welcomed by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Reverend David Connor.

The Dean had previously given the address at Prince Philip's service of Thanksgiving last month.

Charles and Camilla took their seats inside the chapel with the rest of the congregation.

In accordance with tradition, Charles and Camilla were presented with nose-gays, sweet-smelling bouquets that were historically used to counteract unpleasant smells during the ceremony.

Charles, being the representative of the Queen this year, distributed Mournday coins to 96 men and 96 women, symbolizing the Queen's upcoming 96th birthday on April 21.

Each recipient received two purses, one red and one white.

The white purse contained specially minted Mournday money, consisting of silver 10p and 3p pieces, amounting to 96 pence.

The red pouch held a 5lb coin and a 50p coin featuring the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, both newly minted for this year.

The Royal Mournday service is an ancient ceremony that originated from Christ's commandment to his disciples after washing their feet on the day before Good Friday.

Although the in-person ceremony was cancelled for the past two years due to the pandemic, the Queen ensured that Mournday money was still distributed by sending it along with a letter to each recipient.

In her letter, she expressed her gratitude for the work done by countless individuals for the well-being of their neighbors, work that often goes unnoticed or unappreciated.

While circumstances prevented the traditional service from taking place this year, the Queen hopes that the Mournday gift will serve as a lasting reminder of the recipients' valued efforts.