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How to celebrate Easter like a king? Monarchs of Europe — Catholics and Protestants, for them it is the main holiday of the year, and the opportunity to arrange a vacation in the family circle. In the weekly column HELLO! we talk about the Easter traditions of the royal families.
Denmark
Since Margrethe II ascended the Danish throne in 1972, the royal family has been celebrating Easter at her summer residence. — Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus. When her sons Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim were children, the Queen herself and her late husband Prince Henrik enjoyed painting Easter eggs with them. Now the monarch continues this tradition with her grandchildren. In 2021, before Easter, the Danish royal family published photos showing Margrethe with Frederik, his wife Mary and children Christian, Isabella, Vincent and Josefina creating at a large table in Marselisborg Palace.
Last year, photographers took pictures of her with her son and grandchildren at a festive service at her beloved cathedral in Aarhus. However, this year the tradition of festive trips to Marselisborg was broken due to health problems with the Queen, who will turn 83 in three days. The fact is that on February 22, she underwent a serious operation on her back, and in March the press service of the royal court reported that Margrethe II will not be able to go to Aarhus for Easter. Therefore, she spent the holidays with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren in the winter residence — Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.
Great Britain
Windsors — these are traditions, and nothing but a global emergency, such as the coronavirus pandemic, will force them to refuse to observe all the prescribed rituals. Easter events in the royal family begin on Maundy Thursday, when the monarch attends a service in one of the country’s churches and distributes bags of “clean money” to pensioners who are honored in their church communities. Money is not easy. Each guest is entitled to two leather bags — red and white. In one of them, pence for an amount equal to the number of years of the life of the king, in the other — two commemorative coins.
They symbolize the gifts of the sovereign — food and clothing,” the royal family’s website explains.
During the life of Queen Elizabeth II, these were always coins of the 1952 model, when she ascended the throne. This year, the royal treasury has already issued coins dedicated to the upcoming 75th anniversary of Charles III. Last spring, the monarch was already feeling unwell, and she entrusted the honorable duty of distributing “clean money” to her son. And this year Carl III performed it already as a king, together with his wife Camilla.
By the way, the number of invited men and women from all over the country who distinguished themselves by doing good deeds in their church community also depends on the age of the monarch. For example, last year, Charles, on behalf of the 96-year-old queen, gave 96 pence to 192 subjects. And on this Maundy Thursday, 74 men and 74 women received gifts from the 74-year-old Charles III. This ritual has existed since 1210, but in its current form — since the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
On Good Friday, as well as on Christmas weekend, members of the royal family come to Windsor to celebrate Easter together. On this day, they refrain from eating meat and eat fish during their first meal together. Next public appearance — already on Easter Sunday. In the morning they have eggs for breakfast, exchange small gifts, and then go to a solemn service in the chapel of St. George.
In the good old days, Prince William and Prince Harry spent this day with the Queen, while their father and his wife Camilla left for their Scottish estate of Birkhall. But already last year, Elizabeth II watched the broadcast of the service in her chambers, and the procession of the Windsors to the chapel was led by Prince William with his wife Kate and children as the oldest members of the family. But on this Easter Sunday, the whole family, led by the king, of course, with the exception of Prince Harry and his wife Megan, who are in California, proceeded to the festive service in an organized manner.
According to tradition, returning to the palace, the whole family sits down at the festive table. The Daily Express reports that at Passover it has always been customary to serve a four-course dinner, of which the roast lamb is the main one. According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, at the time when Elizabeth was at the head of the table II, it was served with seasonal vegetables such as cucumbers and lettuce with a little mint, or grated carrots with coriander. The late queen loved well-done meat, so she took the very first piece cut off. McGrady recalled:
At dinner they drank Her Majesty’s favorite German wine, which is called Gewurztraminer. Alcohol flowed like water throughout the day, but the monarch preferred to abstain until the time when she usually drank evening gin or sweet red wine.
And of course, the Easter menu would not be complete without dark chocolate. — Elizabeth’s favorite treat II and her grandson Prince William. By the way, King Carl is very cool about chocolate. But it is impossible to imagine Easter without chocolate eggs. One of the most common traditions of this holiday is the search for gifts, usually — painted or chocolate eggs, which, according to legend, brings the Easter Bunny – the main symbol of the holiday.
The Royal Court has never officially confirmed that the inhabitants of Windsor Castle observe this tradition. But Kate Middleton once told the little girls who greeted her with the children at the exit of St. George’s Chapel that before the service, George, Charlotte and Louis managed to “hunt” for chocolate eggs in the palace courtyard.
Spain
Since 1995, the Spanish royal family has traditionally celebrated Easter in Mallorca. For many years, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, and since 2014 — King Philip VI and Queen Letizia and other members of the family all celebrated the main holiday for Catholics on this Balearic island. On Easter Sunday, they all participated together in a solemn mass in the Cathedral of Palma de Mallorca. In 2004, while still the bride of the heir to the throne, the journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano also attended for the first time. And after the wedding, Philip and his wife always followed this tradition.
But in 2022, they decided to stay in Madrid for Easter, even though the pandemic was coming to an end and a trip to Mallorca became possible. This decision caused surprise in the Spanish society. Many commentators believed that King Philip decided to modernize the monarchy and change the traditions established by Juan Carlos, who ruled Spain for almost forty years and abdicated in favor of his son in 2014.
But there is another — a more prosaic explanation: The king’s eldest daughter, Princess Leonor, has been studying in Britain since 2021 at UWC College in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. She flew home only on Friday evening. It is clear that she, her sister and parents want to spend time in the family circle. So this year, the royal family stayed for the Easter holidays in Madrid.
Sweden
The beginning of spring was very difficult for the Swedish king Carl XVI Gustaf. He underwent heart surgery and made several trips around the country as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the throne. The last visit before the Easter holidays took place in Östersund — cultural and economic center of the province of Jämtland on the border with Norway. The media noted that the monarch himself and his wife Silvia were in high spirits, and there was an important reason for this. Carl Gustav himself told reporters about it:
As you may know, the Queen and I have a special connection to this region through our mountain home in Storlien. Our family has owned it since 1932. My parents have stayed there many times and it is because of it that my kids love winter sports. Now our grandchildren ski on the same slopes.
It is in this house, given as a wedding present to his parents, Princess Sibylla and Crown Prince Gustav Adolf, that the king and his family traditionally celebrate Easter. The festive menu, according to Carl Gustav, includes dishes from pickled herring and eggs, as well as “nubbe” — strong flavored alcoholic drink, traditional for the Swedish feast.
Source: Hellomagazine
Ashley Fitzgerald is a journalist and author at Gossipify, known for her coverage of famous people and their lives. She writes about a wide range of topics, including celebrities, influencers, social media stars, and public figures. Her articles are known for their in-depth analysis and unique perspective. She is respected for her ability to keep readers up to date with the latest news and trends of the famous people.
