How the British Royal Family Celebrated a Socially Distant Easter

In normal times, the British royal family—lead by their monarchial matriarch, Queen Elizabeth—spends Easter Sunday at Windsor Castle. They attend church service at St. George’s Chapel, where photographers snap their pictures. Then, they celebrate privately as a family.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they, like so many, spent the holiday apart. But they still, from Prince William and Kate Middleton to Queen Elizabeth, marked the occasion while sending messages of support to the public.

Following her speech last Sunday, Queen Elizabeth took the unprecedented step of delivering another address to the public. As the head of the Church of England, this was more religious in nature than her previous one. “This year, Easter will be different for many of us, but by keeping apart we keep others safe,” the queen said. “But Easter isn’t canceled—indeed, we need Easter as much as ever. We know that coronavirus will not overcome us. As dark as death can be—particularly for those suffering with grief—light and life are greater. May the living flame of Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future.”

On Instagram, the royal family also shared a recipe and a how-to video from their pastry chefs for spiced Easter biscuits.

Although the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are thought to be social distancing at their Norfolk estate of Anmer Hall, they shared a beautiful spring picture of their London home, Kensington Palace, on Instagram. “Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter,” they wrote, adding the hashtag #StayHomeSaveLives.

Prince Charles, who has recently recovered from COVID-19, participated in a remote Easter service. He narrated the gospel reading John 20:1–18 for Westminster Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral’s online masses. His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, also shared her reading list for “those isolating at home over the Easter weekend.” Some of her picks? The Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities, as well as Travels on my Elephant, written by her brother, Mark Shand.

Whether the family did some sort of private commemoration is unknown. However, Prince William and Kate Middleton have shown they’re quite the Zoom pros—so perhaps a digital Easter dinner was in order.