Princess Kate Middleton, Prince William, and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, will be forgoing their usual trip to church on Easter Sunday with the royal family this year.

Amid Kate’s recent cancer diagnosis, the family has chosen to stay out of the public eye on the holiday, which falls on March 31, according to multiple reports.

Kensington Palace’s official statement regarding Kate’s abdominal surgery on January 17 said that the Princess of Wales was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.” However, many people were hoping to see the princess attending church as it’s considered a private event and not part of her royal duties.

Kate, 42, and William, 41, have often been seen attending St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on the Easter holiday, and 2023 marked the first time the royal couple brought all three of their children to the church service.

After palace officials announced Kate’s surgery in January, the internet exploded in a flurry of speculation about her whereabouts. While royal reps continued to assure the public she was simply recovering at home, the princess announced on Friday, March 22, that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery. It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful,” Kate said in a video. “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”

The Princess of Wales continued, “This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ​OK. As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”