British royal fanfare and Easter celebrations have gone hand-in-hand for many years, but this year’s holiday long weekend will be quite different.
Of course, as the world battles the ongoing spread of coronavirus, everybody’s lives have temporarily changed with restrictions and recommendations putting a stop to activities and events we’ve previously taken for granted.
The UK has recently been hit hard with a sharp growth in COVID-19 new cases and deaths – even their Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is currently in intensive care due to the virus
For the royals, all this means some of their age-old traditions will have to change in 2020 – but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll stop altogether.
Kicking things off on the royal Easter calendar each year is usually Maundy Thursday, which is attended by the Queen.
In previous years, the Queen travels to different cathedrals around the UK to hand out Maundy Money – usually occurring on the Thursday before Easter Sunday.
The ceremony has taken place since 600AD, and involves handing out 80 pence worth of Maundy Money to 80 men and 80 women in recognition of their contribution to community and the church.
The coins themselves bear a portrait of the Queen, which were specially designed for her coronation in 1953.
In 2019, the Queen was joined by Princess Eugenie for the ceremony at St George’s Chapel, where the pair looked radiant in floral shades and buttercup yellow.
Eugenie and Queen Elizabeth marked Maundy Thursday together in 2019.
(Getty)This year, the same service will not be going ahead in its traditional form as Britain enforces a lockdown requiring people to stay in their own homes unless they are going out for essential purposes.
The Queen herself is currently isolating at Windsor Castle, interestingly not far from St George’s Chapel, but she is unexpected to make any public appearances anytime soon.
Instead, we might see the royal family mark the tradition in another way – perhaps they’ll use social media to share some of the history behind Maundy Thursday.
Whatever happens, we’re hoping the royals will mark the event in some way over the coming days.
We usually see the British royals gather for a Sunday service to mark Easter Sunday.
(Getty)As for Easter Sunday, the royal family usually attend a church service together – a sight that is often photographed and splashed throughout the world as they enter and exit the chapel.
While the service will not be taking place this year, we may still see some of the different ways the royals choose to celebrate the religious day.
Duchess Catherine and Prince William, who are currently isolating in their country home in Norfolk, often share photos and anecdotes on their official Instagram and Twitter channels for big occasions.
Royal watchers are all hoping that they share some new images or details about how they are spending this day with their three young children, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four and Prince Louis, one.
We hope to see what the Cambridge family get up to over the Easter weekend.
(Getty)Since the country went into lockdown, the royals have been proactive in sharing behind the scenes images of the work they are continuing to do from home.
Prince Charles, who just recently recovered from coronavirus and is one of the hardest working royals, has been very busy, even virtually opening the brand new NHS Nightingale hospital in East London via a video link last week.
Prince William and Duchess Catherine have also shared some insights about their working from home set-ups.
In two new images shared to their social channels, Kensington Royal revealed how the pair had made phone calls to Mind charity CEO Paul Farmer, and the CEO of Place2Be, Catherine Roche.
They later made surprise calls to NHS workers as a way to thank them for their incredible efforts working on the frontline, which was revealed on their social channels as well.
With these kinds of insights into their working lives from home, we can no doubt expect to see some more anecdotes over the weekend as they celebrate Easter in isolation.
Stay tuned!
WATCH: The Cambridge children clap for NHS workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic:
