Today, the royal family commemorates Easter with a service at Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel—and as this year, Queen Elizabeth's birthday happens to coincide with the holiday, there was even more cause for the royals to celebrate. Meghan Markle did not, sadly, make it to the chapel. Seeing as the pregnant Duchess is believed to be very, very close to her due date, however, it's extremely understandable that she wasn't able to attend. Prince Harry arriving at St. George’s Chapel alongside his cousin Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn. Eamonn M. McCormack Getty Images She and Prince Harry have shared precious few details about their soon-to-arrive baby—and recently, it was announced that the birth would also be kept private. Buckingham Palace released a statement on April 11, explaining the couple's decision. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very grateful for the goodwill they have received from people throughout the United Kingdom and around the world as they prepare to welcome their baby," the statement read. "Their Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private. The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family." Since they've chosen to forego the public photocall in front of the hospital—a somewhat recent royal tradition that both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton partook in—royal fans will have to wait for any images of the newborn to become available. But as this is Meghan and Harry's baby we're talking about, he or she is sure to be adorable—and any photos well worth the wait. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>A very royal Easter Sunday! The British royal family stepped out on Sunday, April 21, for an Easter church service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, which is where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got married last May. The occasion also marked Queen Elizabeth II's 93rd birthday. SEE ALSO: Royal family takes to social media to wish Queen Elizabeth a happy 93rd birthday The Queen was joined by Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew for the sunny outing. Noticeably absent was Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, who hasn't made a public outing since his January car accident. Also not there was Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, who is reportedly due to give birth "any day" now and was likely not far away at their new home at Frogmore Cottage, which is on the Windsor grounds. Additionally, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla and William and Kate's children, George, Charlotte and Louis didn't attend the church service on Sunday. For the occasion, William and Harry wore simple navy suits, while both Kate and the Queen wore light blue ensembles with a matching fascinator and hat, respectively. See photos from the British royal family's 2019 Easter outing below:<doc-sep>As they do every Easter Sunday, the British royal family arrived at Windsor Castle this morning, to mark the holiday by attending church services. But this year's celebration is extra special, in that today is also Queen Elizabeth's 93rd birthday. While Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Princess Beatrice were all on-hand to spend time with British monarch, several members of the family were missing. Prince Charles and Camilla also weren't there—they traditionally spend Easter in Scotland—and neither was the Duchess of Sussex. She likely got a pass from today's event, given her approaching due date. Read on to see all the photos of the royals who did attend church today.<doc-sep>Today the royal family came together to mark two special occasions: Easter and the Queen's birthday. The British monarch's relatives gathered at St George's Chapel in Windsor for Sunday services, as they do every year on Easter, but a few familiar faces were missing this morning. Queen Elizabeth on her way into St. George’s Chapel for Easter services. Samir Hussein Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla typically spend the holiday in Scotland, and indeed, they were absent from the celebrations, as was the Duchess of Sussex, who is likely at home awaiting the arrival of her new baby. As the Queen arrived at the chapel via car, it became apparent that her husband, Prince Philip, would also be skipping today's events. He was also absent for last year's Easter church services, as is apparent in this video of the royal family's arrivals at St George's in 2018: While Philip, who is 97, has had some health set backs over the past year (notably, he had a successful hip operation last April), his absence today shouldn't be cause for concern. In October of last year, ahead of Princess Eugenie's wedding, the Telegraph reported that Philip "now operates on a 'wake up and see how I feel' basis." "The royals are like any family in the sense they try to make family occasions but it is not always possible," a source told the publication. While the Duke of Edinburgh has kept a relatively low profile recently, he hasn't stayed out of the papers entirely In January, he was involved in a car accident near Sandringham, where his Land Rover collided with another car. Prince Philip was fortunately unharmed, but the driver of the other vehicle sustained cuts in the crash, and the passenger broke her wrist. A 9-month-old baby in the backseat of their car was also uninjured in the collision. Following the incident, Prince Philip relinquished his drivers license, and no further charges were brought against any of the participants. Caroline Hallemann Digital News Director As the digital news director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers everything from the British royal family to the latest episodes of Outlander, Killing Eve, and The Crown. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>
The royal family stepped out for an Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle this morning. The occasion doubles as Queen Elizabeth's 93rd birthday celebration. Prince Harry attended the service, but Meghan Markle didn't put in an appearance. Queen Elizabeth turns 93 today, and members of the royal family are celebrating as they attend an Easter Sunday church service in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. While Kate Middleton attended along with husband Prince William, Prince Harry arrived at the service solo. So why exactly did Meghan Markle miss the Easter service, which was attended by a plethora of royals, including Princess Beatrice, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward and his family? According to the Daily Mail's royal correspondent Rebecca English, Meghan skipped the service because her due date is extremely close now. English tweeted, "No, I don’t believe she will be there. That’s certainly not what was being said this week — she is days away from having her baby, after all." Prince Harry arrives at the Easter Sunday service with Anne, Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and Autumn and Peter Phillips. Eamonn M. McCormack Getty Images Despite missing the service, Meghan posted a sweet birthday message for the Queen on Instagram. Posting a series of iconic photos of the monarch on their @SussexRoyal Instagram account, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrote, "Happy Birthday Your Majesty, Ma’am, Granny. Wishing you the most wonderful day! 🎈Harry & Meghan": While Meghan's exact due date is unknown, the duchess previously teased when the royal baby is expected. According to People, Meghan told well-wishers at an event back in January 2019 that she's expecting her first child in late April 2019. Considering it's almost the end of April now, it makes sense that Meghan wouldn't be in attendance at the royal family's Easter service.