Real reason Kate Middleton and Prince William skipped Easter service as Andrew appears

The King and Queen were joined by a host of other royals at the traditional Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle - but the Prince and were not among them. Charles and Camilla attended the service at St George's Chapel alongside the likes of Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, but royal fans won't see Prince George, Prince Louis or Princess Charlotte this year.

Also joining were Prince Andrew and Ferige, who missed the royals' celebrations at Sandringham after the disgraced Duke of York stepped away following his involvement in a recent scandal involving an alleged Chinese spy. Other royals included the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's son James – the Earl of Wessex, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. However, the Prince and Princess of Wales did not attend as they are spending the weekend with their children in Norfolk.

told the King of his intention to miss the annual gathering, to "enjoy some extended time as a family over Easter", a source said. "They are choosing to spend time together as a family before the children go back to school", the source added. The Waleses did not attend the service last year as it was only weeks after the princess was diagnosed with cancer.

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A royal source said the Prince of Wales had notified the King of his intention to miss the service, with the King agreeing to the couple spending the Easter holidays with their family. The King, as head of the Church of England which William will one day lead when he becomes sovereign, was greeted by the royals as he arrived at the church at Windsor Castle.

Earlier this week, the princess described how she when spending time in nature, giving her a "sense of peace" in a "very busy ".

Kensington Palace posted a new video of Kate on Monday, showing the princess in a bakerboy cap, walking near the shores of Lake Windermere in the Lake District last month with a group of Scouts from Cumbria and Stretford, Greater . She was filmed in conversation with chief scout Dwayne Fields as she told him how being outdoors was "so... meaningful for me as a place of balance".

The princess has long advocated the benefits of spending time in the natural world, previously revealing how nature became her family's "sanctuary" and how she has craved being in the sunlight, in the wake of her diagnosis and during her chemotherapy treatment.

William and Kate recently returned from a skiing holiday with their three children, , 11, , nine and , six. The family enjoyed a week in the French Alps with pictures of their family break appearing in a French magazine, prompting the wrath of Kensington Palace.

The family in February enjoyed a half term break on the exclusive island of Mustique in the Caribbean, while William and Kate also separately jetted off on a skiing holiday at the end of December, again in France, with Kate’s brother James and his wife, Alizée. It has been an extraordinary year for the monarchy after both the King and his daughter-in-law Kate were diagnosed with cancer within days of each other.

The future queen underwent six months of preventative chemotherapy, later speaking in September of her relief on finishing her course of treatment. In an emotional video, featuring husband William, their three children and her parents, Kate, 43, said the year had been "incredibly tough" and "that life as you know it can change in an instant".

In a welcome and positive update in January, the princess announced that she was in remission from cancer and was doing all she could to stay "focused on recovery". In a message posted on social media, she said: "As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead," signing off with "C" for Catherine.