Pull up a chair, pour something festive, and prepare yourself because this week the royal calendar delivered sunshine and shadows in equal measure. Easter brought a genuinely beautiful family moment at Windsor, a property dispute that reads like a sitcom, a heartwarming glimpse from California, and a revelation about Her late Majesty that will move even the most seasoned royal watcher. And then, of course, there is the small matter of Fergie who is now, apparently, carrying three mobile phones and hiding in a Tuscan castle. We have plenty to get through. Let’s begin.
Easter Sunday at St George’s Chapel was, in a word, glorious and not just because of the hats.
King Charles and Queen Camilla led the family to the Easter Matins service at Windsor on April 5, and the walkway to the chapel delivered everything royal watchers love: pressed coats, excellent millinery, children behaving themselves almost perfectly, and a cast list that felt both familiar and significant.
The headline news was the return of the Wales family. William, Kate and their three children joined the royals for the Easter Sunday service for the first time since 2023, and their arrival brought a warmth that has been missing for two years. Prince William, Kate Middleton, and the couple’s three children were the first to arrive, leading the family into the chapel with broad smiles and waves. Kate looked every inch herself in an ivory Self Portrait dress she has previously worn, paired with a fascinator. Charlotte coordinated beautifully in a bespoke Catherine Walker coat in butterscotch, and Louis waved at the crowd like a professional. George, meanwhile, is becoming quite the composed young man.
Their return followed two years of Easter absences, with Kate’s cancer diagnosis coinciding with the start of the Easter school holidays in 2024. This year’s appearance felt like a statement of recovery, resilience and family and the public responded with enormous warmth.
Also making a very notable appearance was Peter Phillips, who arrived hand in hand with his fiancée Harriet Sperling, an NHS paediatric nurse, who looked perfectly judged for the occasion. The couple announced earlier in the week that they will wed on 6 June 2026. Harriet’s daughter Georgina, 13, was also in attendance and was seen chatting easily with Savannah and Isla Phillips, a lovely sign of a blended family finding its stride.
Also present were Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence, and Prince Edward with his son James, Earl of Wessex, though we will come to the rather remarkable story behind that shortly.
Now, a word about who was missing. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, was expected to attend but pulled out having been under the weather. This marked her third major royal event in a row she had missed. Her daughter Lady Louise was absent too, but for straightforward reasons as she is studying at St Andrews University. We wish Sophie a speedy recovery, she is one of the monarchy’s great workhorses and is very much missed when she’s not there.
And on a lighter note, across the Atlantic, Meghan Markle shared a heartwarming Instagram post featuring Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, running hand in hand across the garden of their California home, baskets in tow. The videos gave the clearest look yet at both children’s red hair, Archie’s a warm auburn and Lilibet’s a lighter ginger shade very much like her father’s. Harry once said the Spencer ginger gene was very strong and looking at these two, he was not wrong. A sweet glimpse of a family enjoying a simple Easter morning.
Now, here is a story that manages to be both symbolic and genuinely entertaining.
Prince Edward and Sophie traditionally stay at Wood Farm, a farmhouse about two miles from the main Sandringham house, for their Easter break. They have done so for years. It is their place. Their routine. Their tradition.
This year, they couldn’t get in. Because Andrew was still in it.
Andrew moved into Wood Farm after being evicted from Royal Lodge in February, as a temporary measure while renovations were completed on his permanent new home, Marsh Farm. The move was supposed to be sorted by Easter. It was not. According to reports, Edward even paid his older brother a visit to hurry things along, amid concern that Andrew was dragging his heels.
As a result, Edward and Sophie stayed instead at Gardens House, a holiday rental on the Sandringham estate. By all accounts it is charming and beautifully decorated. But still. One does not expect to book a holiday cottage on the family estate because one’s brother has declined to vacate.
Andrew did finally complete his move to Marsh Farm just a couple of days after Easter Sunday. Meanwhile, he was photographed on Easter Monday driving around the estate in his Range Rover, apparently entirely unbothered.
The man has a remarkable capacity for carrying on regardless.
Beyond Easter, the biggest royal story of the coming weeks is this: King Charles is heading to the United States.
The visit is set to take place from April 27 to 30, with plans for a White House banquet and an address to a Joint Meeting of Congress. It marks the 250th anniversary of American independence and is intended to reaffirm the relationship between the UK and US.
On paper, this is straightforward. In practice, it is anything but.
The diplomatic climate is turbulent, with tensions between the US, the UK and Europe. Yet as analysts point out, it is not the King’s decision to make. The official announcement made clear this visit is on the advice of the government and at the invitation of the President. The King goes where he is sent.
What Charles carries to Washington is soft power. The ability to represent continuity and stability at a time when relationships need careful handling. He has met Trump before and is understood to know how to navigate that dynamic.
The visit will be watched closely. It is not just ceremony, it is a test of how the monarchy operates on the world stage in a complicated moment.
And now for something that cuts through all the noise, a story that is simply beautiful.
Ahead of what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday, royal biographer Robert Hardman has revealed a detail about her final weeks. The Queen wanted all her great grandchildren to come to Balmoral during that last summer so they would all have a happy memory of her.
The invitation included William and Kate’s children, George, Charlotte and Louis, but also Archie and Lilibet, despite their parents having stepped back. She wanted them there regardless. She wanted them all to know Balmoral and to know her.
It is a reminder of what she was at her core, not a sovereign navigating protocol, but a grandmother who wanted her great grandchildren to be happy.
In a week full of complication, it is the detail that stays with you.
And so, as is now tradition, we return to Sarah Ferguson.
Last week we established that she was not staying with Priscilla Presley. This week brings a fresh and frankly extraordinary dispatch.
According to insiders, Sarah is leading what has been described as a secret sofa surfing world tour, relying on friends to house her as she moves between locations. She has reportedly been to a wellness retreat in Northern Ireland, spent time in Verbier, visited a clinic in Zurich, and stayed at a large estate in Tuscany.
The most extraordinary detail is this. Friends describe Sarah as nervous and concerned for her safety, and reportedly cycling through three different mobile phones because she is afraid of being tracked. She is, according to insiders, convinced that people wish her harm.
She and Andrew are said to still be on speaking terms but not talking that much. She has not been photographed since December.
The Where Is Fergie watch continues.
And there we have it, royal Easter in all its complicated, colourful, occasionally farcical glory. The Wales family returned to Windsor and brought warmth, Peter Phillips introduced his bride to be, Sophie was unwell and Andrew remained immovable, Charles is heading to Washington, a late Queen’s final wish reminded us what mattered, and somewhere in Europe, Fergie is switching phones and staying out of sight.
Until next week, keep the tea piping hot and the tiaras polished.