Meghan Markle Has Never Attended Easter with the Royal Family — Here's Why

Meghan Markle attended a number of staples on the royal calendar, from Trooping the Colour to their annual Christmas walk, but the Duchess of Sussex never joined the royal family for their Easter church outing.

Meghan was just weeks away from marrying Prince Harry when the royals gathered at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle — the couple's wedding venue! — for Easter in 2018. The engaged couple opted to skip the gathering, but Queen Elizabeth was joined for the service by Prince William, Kate Middleton (who was pregnant with Prince Louis, who they would welcome later that month), Princess Eugenie and her then-fiancée Jack Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice and more.

Easter fell on April 21 in 2019, and Meghan missed the church outing as she was pregnant with the couple's first child (their son, Prince Archie, would arrive just weeks later on May 6). However, Prince Harry stepped out solo for the event — after all, it was just a short trip to St. George's Chapel from Harry and Meghan's U.K. home of Frogmore Cottage, where they were living at the time.

Meghan, 42, and Prince Harry, 39, announced in early 2020 that they intended to step back as senior members of the royal family and later relocated to her home state of California in March. However, the royal family did not gather for Easter that year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent the holiday at Windsor Castle, with the late monarch sending a message to mark Easter.

"This year, Easter will be different for many of us but by keeping apart, we keep others safe," Queen Elizabeth said in the statement. "But Easter isn't canceled, indeed, we need Easter as much as ever. The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose and we can all take heart from this. We know that coronavirus will not overcome us. As dark as death can be — particularly for those suffering with grief — light and life are greater."

In 2021, the royal family canceled their usual Easter outing again due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions. Instead, the palace released photos of Queen Elizabeth and then-Prince Charles on the grounds of Frogmore House to "mark the Easter weekend."

The royal family returned to their Easter church outing in 2022, with Prince George and Princess Charlotte making their debut at the event alongside their parents. Queen Elizabeth missed the service, but a source told PEOPLE that she often worshipped online if she couldn't go in person in the last years of her life.

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Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan stepped out on Easter that year to cheer on athletes at the Invictus Games in The Hague. After attending the event's opening ceremony the night before, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex watched some of the sporting action.

Meghan memorably accompanied Prince Harry to the royal family's Christmas celebrations in 2017 after they announced their engagement. Her appearance was a departure from typical royal protocol, as unmarried partners of royals had previously not been invited to Sandringham for the big day. (As Prince William's fiancée back in 2010, Kate did not attend Christmas services with him.)

In the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex recalled the first time she spent the holidays with Prince Harry's family.

"I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham," she said. "Calling my mom, and she's like, 'How's it going?' And I said, 'Oh my gosh, it's amazing.' "

"It's just like a big family like I always wanted," Meghan added. "And there was just this constant movement and energy and fun."

Following the Christmas celebrations, Prince Harry told BBC Radio 4 that Christmas with his bride-to-be was "fantastic." "She really enjoyed it," he said in 2017. "The family loved having her there."