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Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Lifestyle
Jenny Proudfoot

Prince William and Princess Kate's Easter absence has reportedly "raised eyebrows at the palace"

The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the ceremonial welcome for The President and the First Lady of the Republic of Korea.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been front and centre in 2025. And with Princess Kate resuming her royal duties, following an extended leave of absence to focus on her cancer recovery, the Wales family has officially returned to the spotlight.

However, despite their return to public life, Prince William and Princess Kate appear to have set some boundaries, with their outlook and priorities reported to have changed over the last year. And according to royal experts, this involves an even stronger emphasis on their family life with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

"Before, she used to live her life by the calendar," explained Robert Jobson, author of Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, of Princess Kate's return to duty. "And now she is living her life, and the calendar comes in after.

"When you have had an experience like this, it changes your perspective and the order of things."

This was seemingly the case this weekend, as the Wales family was reported to be skipping the royal family's traditional Easter celebrations, to spend some private time in their Norfolk home.

“They are choosing to spend time together as a family before the children go back to school," a source reported to the Mirror, with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on their Easter holidays until Thursday 24 April.

And while the Wales family's absence has reportedly been backed by King Charles, sources have claimed that the decision actually proved to be very controversial behind palace doors.

"This is a big deal," a source reported to Us Weekly. "It's royal tradition for the family to attend this together."

The source continued: "Everyone understood the family not attending last year when Kate was sick but there's been a lot of raised eyebrows at the palace about William's decision to skip again this year. It feels like a deliberate move and even a snub."

It is not known how the Wales family will celebrate the Easter festivities, but they are said to be staying at their Anmer Hall home in Sandringham.

We will continue to update this story.

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