Queen’s Bodyguard attend the Royal Maundy Service

People across the globe will be celebrating the Christian holiday of Easter this weekend and members of royal families are no different. Royalty across Europe have their own ways and favourite places to spend Easter, with plans ranging from traditional church services to easter egg painting. Here, Express.co.uk explores how the royal families of the United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark and Norway celebrate the Easter festivities.

Britain

The British Royal Family’s Easter traditions begin on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday preceding Easter Sunday, which typically sees the reigning monarch travel to a different cathedral across the country to hand out special coins to individuals “in recognition for their contribution to their community and church”.

While the ceremony has taken place annually in England since 600AD, the late Queen Elizabeth II had the idea of taking it nationwide at the beginning of her reign in 1952.

This year, King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla carried out the ancient ritual for the first time since Charles’s accession. The monarch presented “74 men and 74 women (signifying the age of the monarch) with the Maundy Money to thank them for their outstanding Christian service and for making a difference to the lives of people in their local communities”.

Like many other families across the country, Easter is a time to celebrate togetherness for the Royal Family.

Every year, most members of the Royal Family gather at Windsor Castle for the Easter Sunday church service at St George’s Chapel. And in previous years, the Windsors have reportedly followed the service with a traditional roast lamb lunch back at the castle.

Spain 

Spain’s royal family traditionally spend Easter on the Balearic island of Mallorca.

For years, King Felipe VI, his wife Queen Letizia, their daughters Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, and other members of the family have celebrated the Christian holiday together.

On Easter Sunday, the family would attend the traditional Easter Mass at the Cathedral of Palma de Mallorca.

Felipe and Letizia first attended the service as a couple in 2004, when they were engaged to be married, and have made appearances annually with the exception of 2007 due to the impending birth of Sofía.

It was a central event that brought the whole family together. But, in 2022, the King and Queen decided to stay in the Spanish capital for Easter.

Last year marked the first time since the pandemic that a trip to Mallorca would have been possible, and the royals’ decision to stay in Madrid led to discussion, with some commentators pointing out the move as an attempt to promote a new monarchy, distinct from that of Juan Carlos, who reigned over Spain for almost forty years but abdicated in favour of his son in 2014.

This year, the King and Queen, who have always been known to guard their private lives, are expected to spend Easter privately with their daughters.

It has been reported that the couple will once again stay in Madrid rather than travel to Mallorca.

Denmark

Since Queen Margrethe II of Denmark took the throne in 1972, the Danish Royal Family has celebrated Easter at Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus, which has been the summer residence of Her Majesty since 1967.

When her children, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, were children, Margrethe and her late husband, Prince Henrik, marked the Christian holiday by painting Easter eggs with them. Now, the 82-year-old monarch enjoys carrying on that tradition with her grandchildren.

In 2021, the Danish Royal Family released photographs ahead of Easter Sunday featuring Queen Margrethe with the Crown Prince and his family at Marselisborg Palace.

The Danish Royal House shared an Easter greeting from the royals. “With the wish of a happy Easter,” the message on Instagram read.

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In one image, Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary and their four children — Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine — can be seen strolling the grounds of Marselisborg Palace. In other photographs, the family are gathered around a table decorating Easter eggs.

On the morning of Easter Sunday, members of the family make an appearance at Aarhus Cathedral for the traditional service. There, they are typically greeted by church authorities who later officiate the special holiday service. Last year, Queen Margrethe was joined by her son Frederick and eldest granddaughter Isabella.

Norway 

In years gone by, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway have spent the Easter holidays in the mountains.

Typically, the royal couple travels from Oslo to Sikkildalen on the Friday before Palm Sunday. There, they stay in a cabin called “Prinsehytta” (The Prince’s Cabin), a relatively basic lodging which is sheltered from the public and the media.

Harald and Sonja use the Easter holidays as their time to go skiing and relax, far away from the pressures of royal life.

It is also one of the rare times in the year that the royals use the private royal train carriages, often called “just for the King’s train”. They usually travel from Oslo Central Station to Vinstra Station in Gudbrandsdalen, a journey that takes approximately three and a half hours.

From there, the King and Queen travel by car up the mountain, where all-terrain carriers from the Norwegian army transport Their Majesties to the cabin.

Unlike royal families mentioned previously, the Norwegian royals do not celebrate Easter together. It has been several years since Crown Prince Haakon, his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit and their children travelled with the King and Queen to the mountains.

Instead, the Crown Prince family spend their Easter holidays at their private cottage in Ulvdal.

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