Visitors to Windsor Castle got a right royal treat this Easter as they came across a crop of royals on a day out, two of them rather unexpected.
Plenty of those visiting the ancient royal residence on April 14th 2022 were hoping to catch a glimpse of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall as they took part in the Royal Maundy service with Charles handing out the special coins on behalf of The Queen for the first time.
As they stood on the steps of St. George’s Chapel, they were pretty hard to miss. Camilla had another trademark cracker of a hat on, they were both holding large posies of bright spring flowers and they were stood in the middle of a fabulous collection of choristers, clergy and Yeoman of the Guard. It was a rather splendid sight, designed to impress and doing just that.
However, around the same time, a group of tourists found themselves waving at two less expected Windsors at Windsor.
Behind the castle walls, The Queen had been catching up with one of her grandsons for the first time in nearly a year. And as the Duke of Sussex, along with the Duchess, travelled through the estate, they were spotted. Visitors who caught sight of them said they looked very happy and relaxed and waved back at them. The trip was later confirmed by the couple’s office.
It was Harry’s first in person chat with The Queen since April 2021 when he was at Windsor for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh. Meghan hasn’t seen the Monarch face to face since March 2020 when the Sussexes stepped back as senior royals. It’s thought the couple also met Charles and Camilla during their time at Windsor.
The interest in the Sussexes stopover – they were on their way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games which take place in the coming days in The Hague – made the front of many UK newspapers as Maundy Thursday turned into Good Friday. It also put paid to ongoing online debates about whether Charles, William or anyone would visit the couple during their time in the Netherlands, given the proximity of the two countries and the relaxing of many restrictions caused by the pandemic.
Easter weekend is usually a quiet one for royal news but 2022 promises to be rather different. The Queen is expected to miss the Easter service at St. George’s Chapel as is the Prince of Wales who will be in Scotland. Other royals are expected to attend although confirmation of who that will be is still incoming. Meanwhile, the Sussexes will most likely be rubbing shoulders with Dutch royalty as Princess Margriet attends the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games with King Willem-Alexander set for the closing event.
Visitors to Windsor Castle will be hoping for another few days of royal spotting although matching that quiet Thursday in April might be quite the ask.
