Prince William would do well to learn from the late Queen Elizabeth and Pope Francis - Jayne Dowle

Less than 24 hours later, it was announced that the 88-year-old, who had spent weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia, had passed away.

Queen Elizabeth II, two days before her death at the age of the 96, in September 2022, was “absolutely determined to do her duty” former Prime Minister Liz Truss said, when they met at Balmoral two days before the monarch's death.

Asking Truss to form a government after the resignation of Boris Johnson was the late Queen’s final engagement.

These are qualities which many younger public figures would do well to observe. The Prince and Princess of Wales, for example. Many observers will have questioned where the popular couple and their children were when a cast of Royals attended church at Windsor Castle on Easter Sunday.

The answer? In that cringemaking modern parlance, ‘having some family time’. Now, busy ‘normal’ families up and down the land will have been doing just the same, hoping to shirk onerous responsibilities in order to kick back and relax together.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, however, are not a ‘normal’ family, and much as we might applaud their desire to give their children a sensible, down-to-earth upbringing, with privilege comes responsibility. As the future head of the Church of England, it really should be beholden on William to put his country first at significant times in the Christian calendar, Easter and Christmas being the two key events.

Prince William told the King of his intention to miss the annual gathering, to “enjoy some extended time as a family over Easter”, a source had told reporters.

“They are choosing to spend time together as a family before the children go back to school”, the source added. The family, including children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 7, were on holiday in Norfolk, where they put in a low-key appearance at church in Sandringham with the Princess’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, leaving through a back door to avoid the crowds.

Last year, the Waleses did not attend the Windsor Castle service as it was only weeks after the Princess was diagnosed with cancer.

That was understandable. The omission this year however, was at best puzzling, at worst unforgiveable. Looking at the assembled Royals who did turn up at Windsor, it’s not unreasonable to surmise that perhaps William’s principles may have got the better of his commitment to duty.

Amongst the assembled throng was Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, his former wife Sarah Ferguson, brought back into the Royal fold, and their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.

Perhaps William was making a point; Andrew and ‘Fergie’ were notably absent from the Royals’ Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, because of Andrew’s reported involvement in a scandal involving an alleged Chinese spy. Who really knows the internal machinations of the Royals? And some may say, justifiably, with so much else in the world to worry about, why should we care?

However, as the late Queen once said, “I have to be seen to be believed”. It’s understood that Her Majesty was actually referring to the challenge her diminutive stature presented when making public appearances; without bright-coloured outfits and stand-out hats, she may well have disappeared in a crowd.

The point however, holds deeper resonance as we grapple with notions of leadership and authority in a rapidly changing world. And future world leaders, the Prince of Wales included, should appreciate this.

Why did portraits of august public figures hold such sway in medieval times, before most of the population could read and write, with television, radio and the internet hundreds of years in the future? Because portraits allowed subjects and followers to ‘see’ their leaders.