King Charles and Queen Camilla have confirmed they will attend the Easter Sunday Mattins service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle this weekend, as they hope to host an enjoyable family celebration together.
This year the service looks quite different, with fewer members of the family due to attend to stop the King from interacting with so many people while he receives treatment for cancer.
Prince William and Princess Kate will also not be at the service as they mark the occasion privately with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Just last week Kate confirmed in an online video message that she will be undergoing preventative chemotherapy after cancer was detected following her abdominal surgery in January.
After church, the family will enjoy some private time together at Windsor Castle, with former royal chef Darren McGrady divulging exactly what they will be tucking into at lunch.
As is tradition the Firm will be served a roast lamb for their Easter lunch, which in Christianity symbolises the ‘sacrificial lamb’ mentioned in the Old Testament.
It is also eaten in remembrance of Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’ who sacrificed himself on the cross on Good Friday, before he rose again on Easter Sunday.
Mr McGrady told OK! magazine: “We’d go straight into the main course – a traditional roast lamb with seasonal vegetables”, adding that the late Queen Elizabeth preferred her meat well done so naturally she got first pick.
He added: “They’d also have a compound salad served in a kidney dish attached to the plate – just some lettuce and cucumber with a little mint or some grated carrot and coriander.”
For their second course, the family will be given cheese and fruit, with the cheese locally supplied from the Windsor Dairy, close to the royal home.
The chef continued: “The most incredible sweet white Windsor peaches grew on the estate too in my day. We’d have to lock them away in the kitchens because everyone wanted to taste them. The Queen always looked forward to those, but she’d have to wait until they were in season.”
For dessert there are of course Easter eggs, with former royal butler Paul Burrell revealing that their chocolatier of choice is usually Charbonnel et Walker, which sells eggs for a rather expensive £38.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo, Mr Burrell said: “The Royals celebrate Lent. They would give up chocolate or cheese and make an effort to go without something to acknowledge the fact that it was Lent.
“Easter would always be a lavish tea and the things they have given up would appear again in celebration.”
