Under a blazing sun, the Queen and Princess of Wales, Camilla and Kate, stood out at the first Easter mass of the Carolingian era after Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022. With them gathered King Charles III. And the Windsors completely without the sovereign for the first Easter at St. George’s Chapel Windsor. There were Charles and Camilla, William and Kate, but also the new Dukes of Edinburgh, Princess Anne and her husband, and also Prince Andrew with his daughters Eugenie and Beatrice.
Carlo thus confirmed his desire to see the family reunited on special occasions. Even if he is determined to cut back and streamline the Windsor Firm. And if he never showed any tenderness towards his brother who got caught up in the Epstein/Giuffre scandal.
An Easter that brought a double anniversary for the family: that of Prince Philip’s death at the age of 99 two years ago, on April 9th. And the happy one of Carlo’s second marriage to Camilla in Windsor in 2005.
Everything went on as usual – in the last few days the ceremony of the Maundy money, traditionally donated by the king to the populace, and invitations to Windsor Manor for dinner (with an overnight stay at the castle) as Elizabeth and Philip like to have did spring. And among the first guests invited by King Charles on Easter Eve were Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer and the England captain.
When, in the 1930s, the ambassador in London at the time, the father of former American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was invited to one of these dinners in magical Windsor with his wife Rose, the couple were so delighted that Rose wrote everything in his diary of astonishment and wonders to be guests of the mansion that gives the family its name.
Speaking of the US, President Joe Biden, arriving in Ireland 25 years ago for the historic anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, accepted King Charles’ invitation for a state visit to London. This will be preceded in a few weeks by the arrival of Firs Lady Jill, who will represent the United States at the coronation.
Windsor has always been the place of Elizabeth’s heart, who happily spent weekends here and shed painful tears when the mansion went up in flames in 1992 at the Queen’s revealing herself in a wheelchair and daughter-in-law Kate’s difficulty in adapting to the Queen’s funeral as nothing to show next to her sister-in-law Meghan.
And it was in Windsor, on Easter days, that Prince Andrew, favored by the Queen to the last despite the legal mishaps, rode out on his horse. Rare public appearance for the prince, who has now left the official ranks but will be present at the coronation in May. With Harry and Meghan probably (the reservations are to be resolved shortly) and with kings and queens of the elite, heads of state and government.
While in London everything is now set for the coronation: there is less than a month until May 6 and “the dress rehearsal on the streets of the capital has already started at night,” a source told Corriere. “Everything has to be perfect, nothing can be left to chance, so some roads are closed in the middle of the night to allow rehearsals.”