From the BBC:
“King and Queen attend Easter
Sunday church service”
King Charles and Queen Camilla
have attended a church service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle as part
of their Easter celebrations. The traditional Easter Matins service was held in
the 15th Century chapel in Windsor, Berkshire. Most other members of the Royal
Family, including the Duke of York, were also present for the service - apart
from the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, who spent the weekend
on holiday in Norfolk.
Following the service, the King
and Queen were wished a "Happy Easter" by those gathered outside, and
the Queen received a bouquet from a young girl. Andrew missed the Royal
Family's traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham last year amid the
controversy surrounding his links to an alleged Chinese spy. Princess Anne
chatted at some length with the Dean of Windsor, the Right Rev Christopher
Cocksworth outside, while Prince Andrew quickly walked inside for the service. Sisters
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice were joined by their husbands, while the
Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh arrived alongside their son, James. As they
walked to the church in front of crowds of royal fans, it became apparent that
17-year-old James is now noticeably taller than his father, Prince Edward. Teenager
James, who towered over his father as they walked side-by-side, has the
official title of Earl of Wessex On Thursday, the King and Queen took part in
the traditional Maundy Thursday service, held this year at Durham Cathedral.
The service followed the King's
Easter message, which sought to bring unity between different faiths and
recognise those who provide humanitarian aid in wars and disasters. "One
of the puzzles of our humanity is how we are capable of both great cruelty and
great kindness," he said. Meanwhile, the Easter sermon traditionally given
by the Archbishop of Canterbury and seen as the Church of England's primary
religious message for the weekend, was instead delivered by the Archbishop of
York at York Minster. In his sermon, the archbishop called for peace in a
"troubled world", listing Israel and Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan
and DR Congo as "places of conflict that convulse our world". He also
spoke against "the madness of a world which 'others' others, drives wedges
between communities, breeds hatred and promotes greed". Justin Welby, the
former Archbishop of Canterbury, resigned in November after facing increasing
pressure to stand down over his failure to report prolific child abuser John
Smyth. But his replacement has not yet been appointed. The Archbishop of York,
Stephen Cottrell, has also faced calls to resign over his handling of the case.
On Saturday, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales
prayed for those caught up in "endless conflicts" and wars around the
world in his Easter Vigil homily. Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent
Nichols, said: "We pray for peace. We pray especially for those about whom
it has been said, in recent times, that 'all hell' will be unleashed on them.
May that never be so!"
^ It seemed like a nice time for
them. ^
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