British King criticized for Easter silence after Ramadan message
King Charles III faces backlash for not issuing an Easter message, despite having sent one for Ramadan. The royal family later reversed course with a brief greeting.
British King Charles III has come under fire after Buckingham Palace announced earlier this week that he would not deliver an Easter message, despite recently issuing one to Muslims for Ramadan. The royal family later made an apparent U-turn, offering a brief greeting to Christians. The British monarch is traditionally the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
On Thursday, GB News quoted a Buckingham Palace representative as saying that King Charles would not issue an Easter message. This announcement drew criticism from social media users, many of whom described the king's Easter silence as "disappointing." "We are hurting as a nation, we needed a message of Easter hope," one user wrote.
Some critics have taken issue with the fact that, in February, the royal family posted a message on its social media accounts marking the beginning of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. "Wishing all Muslims in the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world a blessed and peaceful Ramadan," the greeting said. In March, as Muslims around the world celebrated Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the month-long fast, Buckingham Palace also published a post reading, "Eid Mubarak to Muslims celebrating in the UK and around the world."
Several British Christian clerics criticized the royal family's initial refusal to do the same for the country's largest religious community. Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to the late Queen Elizabeth II, issued a statement in which he suggested that the king's silence gave his subjects the impression that the monarch "is more sympathetic to Islam." He added that this was particularly disheartening at a time when "Christianity throughout the West – but particularly in this country, and Anglicanism above all – is beginning to sink into decay." Bishop Ceirion H. Dewar similarly wrote on X that the royal family's silence on Easter was a "grave disappointment." On Sunday, the royal family ultimately released a short message, "wishing a joyous Easter Sunday to Christians celebrating in the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world."