Why Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh Pulled Out of Easter Appearance with the Royals at the Last Minute Janine HenniMon, April 6, 2026 at 8:28 PM UTC 0 Lady Louise Windsor and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh attend the Christmas Morning Service at St Mary Magdalene Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, NorfolkCredit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and her daughter, Lady Louise, didn't join the royal family for church on Easter Prince Edward and James, Earl of Wessex, represented their family at the church service alongside other royal family members Sophie an...
Why Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh Pulled Out of Easter Appearance with the Royals at the Last Minute
Janine HenniMon, April 6, 2026 at 8:28 PM UTC
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Lady Louise Windsor and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh attend the Christmas Morning Service at St Mary Magdalene Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, NorfolkCredit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty -
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and her daughter, Lady Louise, didn't join the royal family for church on Easter
Prince Edward and James, Earl of Wessex, represented their family at the church service alongside other royal family members
Sophie and Edward chose to forgo royal titles for their children
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and Lady Louise surprisingly skipped the royal family's Easter church outing.
King Charles and Queen Camilla led a traditional contingent of British royal family members in attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 5, but Prince Edward's wife and daughter were missing.
According to the Daily Express, Sophie, 61, was unable to make it because she was "under the weather" and had planned to attend before dropping out at the last minute.
Meanwhile, a source told the outlet that Lady Louise, 22, was off at college at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where classes are still in session. Lady Louise is in her final year at the Scottish college where her cousin Prince William famously met his wife, Kate Middleton, in 2001.
ady Louise Windsor and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh attend a Christmas Lunch for members of the Royal Family, hosted by King Charles, at Buckingham Palace on December 16, 2025 in London.Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
Prince Edward, 62, and son James, Earl of Wessex, 18, represented the family at the Easter church service, where they joined the King, Queen, Princess Anne, Prince William, Princess Kate and more family members to celebrate the holiday.
It was a rare royal outing for James, who, like his sister, lives life mostly outside of the royal spotlight and usually only joins the royals for major occasions like holiday celebrations.
While the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh both serve the crown as full-time working royals, their two children are not expected to take on working royal roles one day.
Louise and James are the youngest grandchildren of the late Queen Elizabeth, and their parents left open the option for them to choose whether or not they'd like to use royal titles when they came of age.
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James, Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, Princses Anne and more royal family members attend the Easter Service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 5, 2026.Credit: Stringer/Anadolu via Getty
Lady Louise turned 18 in November 2021 but has not publicly adopted a royal title or Her Royal Highness styling, and James did the same when he turned 18 in December 2025.
Prince Edward's son holds the title of the Earl of Wessex, taking on the styling in March 2023. James inherited the appellation when King Charles announced that he conferred Prince Edward as the Duke of Edinburgh in March 2023, sentimentally giving him the title that was created for their late father, Prince Philip.
The move made Sophie the new Duchess of Edinburgh, and their son James, before known as Viscount Severn, became the Earl of Wessex, taking on the title that was given to Edward when he married Sophie in 1999.
Buckingham Palace clarified that James won't inherit the Duke of Edinburgh title in the future. The palace statement announcing Edward as the Duke of Edinburgh specified that the title "will be held by Prince Edward for His Royal Highness's lifetime," meaning that it will revert to the crown after and not automatically go to his son.
Sophie, Prince Edward, James and Lady Louise watch the England v India Women's hockey match during the 2022 Commonwealth Games at the University of Birmingham Hockey & Squash Centre on August 2, 2022.Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
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Sophie opened up to The Sunday Times in 2023 about her and Prince Edward's decision to forgo "His/Her Royal Highness" royal titles for their two children, reflecting on the future they're expected to step into.
"We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living. Hence, we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely," the royal mom said then.
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Source: Entertainment
Published: April 6, 2026 at 11:45PM on Source: RED MAG
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