Where does The Queen spend Easter?
The Royal Family usually celebrate Easter at Windsor Castle.
Along with other members of her family, The Queen attends a church service on Easter Sunday at St George's Chapel, a 14th century building located in the Lower Ward of the castle. Crowds often gather here to welcome them before the service begins and afterwards The Queen receives a bouquet of flowers from local children who also attended the service.
View the gallery below to see The Queen at St George's:
The chapel has been the site of many royal weddings in recent years – The Earl and Countess of Wessex in 1999 and where The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall received a blessing after their wedding in 2005. The chapel is also home to The Order of the Garter, a ceremony that happens every June.
Windsor Castle is open to the public all year found. Find out more about visiting the Castle.
How does The Queen celebrate?
While the Easter weekend is usually spent privately with her family, The Queen distributes Maundy Money each year on the Thursday before Easter Sunday.
The Queen travels to a different cathedral across the country to hand out special coins to men and women in recognition for their contribution to their community and church.
The ceremony has taken place in England since 600(AD) but taking the tradition nationwide was her idea at the start of her reign – this year she visited Leicester Cathedral, the last cathedral in the country she had yet to visit.
Find out more about Maundy Service.
Does The Queen have an Easter egg hunt?
While The Queen doesn’t take part in an official Easter egg hunt, the Royal Collection Trust at Buckingham Palace hold several works of art inspired by traditional Easter eggs.
This includes ornate pieces created by the great Russian goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé. Her grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, added the Colonnade Egg Clock, the Mosaic Egg, and the magnificent Basket of Flowers Egg which was originally commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II as an Easter present for his wife, Tsarina Alexandra.
Find out more about the collection here.
The Queen has also been given several ornate eggs by visitors. The Ambassador of Ukraine Volodymyr Khandogiy gave The Queen a wooden egg (seen above) with a hand-painted portrait on it during a private meeting at Buckingham Palace.
Is there an Easter Egg hunt at the palace?
In the past, several of the Royal Palaces have hosted egg hunts and painting workshops to celebrate Easter. This year on Sunday 16 April 2017, The Palace of Holyrood House, Windsor Castle and the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace will open their doors to families for a Easter Egg Hunt. Children are welcome to make and decorate their own baskets and follow a treasure trail to find eggs hidden in the Royal Mews.
Admission is free and full details can be found here.
