Kate Middleton and Prince William do not attend Easter service amid Princess of Wales' cancer battle

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Kate Middleton did not attend the annual Easter church service on Sunday, March 31, as she continues to heal from her cancer battle. 

The 42-year-old Princess of Wales, along with her family, skipped the annual Easter service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, per Page Six. 

As it was expected earlier, the princess chose to forgo the very public event in favor of a private celebration at her Anmer Hall residence in Norfolk.

The mother-of-three was previously expected to celebrate the holiday with her husband Prince William, 41, and their three children - Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five. 

The princess’s last public appearance was during Christmas 2023 as she attended the festivities with the royal family.

In January, Kate underwent a “planned abdominal surgery” following which she was in restitution for several months. During the same time, the palace also announced that she was “unlikely to return to public duties” until after Easter.

Regardless of the announcement, speculations about her health grew, leading to the official social media accounts of the Prince and the Princess of Wales sharing an image of Kate with her three children on the occasion of UK’s Mother’s Day on March 10. 

Soon, however, the image was served with “kill notice” from six of the leading photo hosting services who claimed the photo was doctored at the source.

As a result of which, wild conspiracy theories regarding her health floated online, which led the princess to issue an ‘apology’ message. She shared in a post the next day that like many other amateur photographers, she edited the photo to enhance it.

On March 22, the princess shocked the entire world as she shared the news of her cancer diagnosis in an unfiltered video.

Kate Middleton reveals she is in early stage of chemotherapy

On March 22, the future queen of the UK shared the heartbreaking news in an emotional video where she admitted that the development “came as a huge shock” to her and the family.

She, however, did not reveal the type of cancer with which she was diagnosed with. The Princess of Wales, nevertheless, shared that she was in the early stages of chemotherapy and and was doing well.

After sharing that she and William wanted to tell their children about the cancer diagnosis first, Kate assured her fans and well-wishers that she was healing.

In her solemn message, she shared, “I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal, in my mind, body and spirits,” before adding that William has been a “great source of comfort and reassurance.”

King Charles III attends Easter service along with other royals

While the Duke and Duchess of Wales stayed out of the public festivities, King Charles III made one of his first public appearances after battling cancer since February. The 75-year-old British monarch was accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla, 76, for the church service.

During the Easter Day sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledged the cancer battle of both the monarch and the Princess of Wales.

During the service at Canterbury Cathedral, the archbishop said, “In each of our lives, there are moments which change us forever,” per The Independent.

He continued, “We’ve watched and sympathised with and felt alongside the dignity of the King and the Princess of Wales, as they have talked of their cancer, and in doing so by their lack of selfishness, by their grace and their faith, boosted so many others.”