Pour yourself something warm and settle in, because this week the House of Windsor has delivered drama on every front. From a family noticeably incomplete at the chapel door, to a king’s cool response to his wandering son, a beloved documentary tribute, two future parents choosing egg hunts over duty, and a net worth revelation that might make you spit out your biscuit – we have plenty to get through. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more surreal, Fergie’s latest siting has us all rolling our eyes!
This Sunday’s Easter Matins service at St George’s Chapel will look a little different this year and the gap in the family photograph will be hard to miss.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will not join the Royal Family for their traditional Easter church service. With the agreement of the King, the sisters have made alternative plans and will miss the gathering at Windsor Castle.
The sisters had previously joined the family for Christmas and are expected to join future family celebrations. Easter at Windsor is one of those set-piece royal occasions where presence speaks louder than any statement. The cameras line the chapel path, the world watches who walks it and who doesn’t.
It’s suggested the palace is uneasy about releasing any form of public statement regarding the princesses as allegations relating to the Epstein files continue to emerge. Both women have kept an extraordinarily low profile since their names surfaced in released documents, and Eugenie stepped down earlier this month as patron of the Anti-Slavery International charity, a role she had held for seven years.
One can’t help but feel a measure of sympathy here. Beatrice and Eugenie are not accused of any wrongdoing. They are daughters caught in a storm not of their making, navigating an impossible situation with as much quiet dignity as they can muster. The doors of Windsor are not closed to them but for now, at least, they will not be walking through them on Easter Sunday.
The royal family’s most intricate ongoing drama took another turn this week, and it comes with the subtlety of a chess move wrapped in a Sunday newspaper exclusive.
Word on the street is that Harry would love an invitation to Sandringham, where he would gain an automatic security package that would allow him to bring Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Harry and his children have not visited the Norfolk estate together since the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee back in June 2022.
Harry has repeatedly stated he does not feel it is safe to bring his family home unless he is reinstated with armed police protection.
In theory it sounds touching – a father who wants his children to know where they come from, who wants Archie and Lilibet to know their grandfather while there is still time. And there may well be genuine warmth behind it. But the palace response has been notably cool.
King Charles is understood to feel that a sense of low trust, shaped by past experiences, continues to make reconciliation difficult, and that any such matters are best handled privately. Those close to the King suggest that if Prince Harry genuinely hopes to see his father, a more discreet approach, particularly from those around him, would be the most constructive way forward.
And then, of course, there is William. Sources suggest the Invictus Games, due to come to Birmingham in 2027, could become a flashpoint with the question of whether Charles would publicly support Harry’s greatest achievement potentially forcing the King to choose between his warring sons.
The invitation may or may not come. The security review continues and somewhere in the space between a father’s longing and a king’s caution, the Sussex question remains beautifully, infuriatingly unresolved.
Among this week’s more genuinely moving announcements came word of a new BBC documentary that will honour what would have been Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday.
Titled *Queen Elizabeth II: Her Story, Our Century*, the one-hour film will mark what would have been her centenary on 21 April 2026. Told through a blend of archival footage and personal reflections, it will include contributions from broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, actress Dame Helen Mirren, actress Dame Sheila Hancock, former US President Barack Obama, and Queen Camilla, who will offer personal memories.
The combination of voices is remarkable and rather fitting for a woman whose reign touched so many different corners of the world. The film explores a century of transformation in Britain and beyond, spanning an era that moved from the age of Empire to the rise of celebrity culture, from the Blitz to the 2012 London Olympics.
It’s nice that Queen Camilla, who knew Queen Elizabeth perhaps better than most in her later years, will be among those sharing personal memories. The BBC has described the film as offering “an important reflection on how modern Britain has been shaped” by her reign.
No word yet of where to watch it but mark April 21st in your diary. It promises to be a great watch with a hot cuppa and biscuit.
If you’ve noticed William and Kate going rather quiet this week, don’t panic. It’s intentional, and entirely for good reason
After a busy stretch that included helping to host the Nigerian state visit and attending the new Archbishop of Canterbury’s installation, the Prince and Princess of Wales are scaling back their public duties as their three children take their Easter break from school.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis began their Easter break from Lambrook School on March 27, with classes not resuming until April 22, and the family is expected to spend much of the break at their country home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk. William and Kate have made no secret of the fact that school holidays are sacrosanct family time in the Wales household.
It’s been a notably full few months and a few quiet weeks in the Norfolk countryside, with muddy boots and Easter egg hunts, sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered.
And now for the number that has been doing the rounds this week and, frankly, making everyone feel slightly underdressed for the occasion.
King Charles’s net worth is estimated at around $800 million – a figure that comfortably surpasses the late Queen Elizabeth II, whose personal wealth was estimated at around $447 million at the time of her death in 2022.
Where does it all come from? The Duchy of Lancaster – a private estate ring-fenced from state control since 1399, generates roughly $30 to $35 million per year in private income, which the King uses for personal expenses, extended family allowances, and charitable giving. On top of that, the Sovereign Grant – the taxpayer-funded allocation for official royal duties, exceeded $176 million in the 2025-26 financial year, an increase of more than $61 million from the previous year, driven by offshore wind profits from the Crown Estate.
It is worth noting, as royal finance experts frequently do, that much of this wealth is structural rather than personal, tied to the institution rather than sitting in a personal account. The castles and the art collections and the stamp collection come with the job. Still, Charles has managed to nearly double the personal fortune of his late mother which is quite impressive.
Somewhere at Sandringham, the King tends his gardens and writes his letters. A thousand years of accumulated wealth looks rather tidy when you line it all up.
And finally, because no week would be complete without a chapter in the ongoing saga of Fergie’s whereabouts, here is the latest instalment, complete with a celebrity cameo, a swift denial, and still no clear answer.
Since leaving Royal Lodge, Sarah’s location has been anyone’s guess. Reports have placed her everywhere from Switzerland to Ireland to the UAE, with the odd luxury resort thrown in, but nothing has been confirmed.
This week, attention turned to the United States, with claims she had been staying with longtime friend Priscilla Presley. The two share a close bond through Priscilla’s late daughter, Lisa Marie, whom Sarah fondly called her “Sissy.” There was also some murmuring that, given recent associations, now might not be the ideal moment for close public ties.
That theory did not last long. Priscilla’s team quickly shut it down, firmly denying Sarah had been staying with her, while Sarah’s side remained notably quiet.
So, she is not at Priscilla’s. She is somewhere. And, as always, we remain on the case.
And there we have it – Easter 2026 royal style, complete with empty chapel seats, an olive branch from California that may or may not be accepted, a century worth celebrating, a very sensible family choosing egg hunts over duty, a monarch sitting quietly atop a small fortune, and one former duchess who has apparently gone completely off-grid. It’s never dullbehind palace gates, is it? Until next week, keep the tea piping hot, the tiaras polished, and your magnifying glass ready. Fergie is out there somewhere
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