Prince William once "terrified" Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie with an Easter prank

Prince William, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice smile together on the Buckingham Palace balcony
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The royal family is the most talked-about in the world, with the Mountbatten-Windsors never failing to make headline news. 

This is particularly true at Easter, with the royal family's annual tradition seeing them greet members of the public on their family walk to church in Windsor - one of the most important events in the royal calendar. 

This year was a scaled-back affair, following a difficult few months for the royal family, seeing both King Charles and the Princess of Wales diagnosed with undisclosed forms of cancer

King Charles and Queen Camilla led the proceedings this year, with only a few senior royals in attendance, including Princess Anne and husband Sir Timothy Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

The younger generation of royals were noticeably absent, including the Prince and Princess of Wales who are spending the holidays privately, as well as Zara and Mike Tindall, Peter Phillips, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, and Lady Louise.

Despite the millennial royal family members' Easter absences, they were still among the most talked-about of the weekend, with old anecdotes from the royal Easter holidays resurfacing and going viral. 

One particular anecdote involved Prince William, with the future King reportedly "terrifying" his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie with a childhood prank one Easter. 

According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, he had made a nursery rhyme themed chocolate egg for the young royals, designing it around the song 'Hickory Dickory Dock'. 

"It had a clock on the top striking one and a sugared mouse peeking out of a mousehole," McGrady told OK! Magazine. "We sent it up to the nursery on the silver tray, but 15 minutes later the Footman brought it back. He said, 'Nanny asked me to return this. Prince William has just stood on a chair and bitten the mouse's head off, frightening Beatrice and Eugenie.'"

He continued: "We had to quickly make another mouse, pop it in the hole and send it back to the nursery. I think Nanny put the egg out of William's reach to make sure it didn’t happen again."

Well, this is hilarious.

We will continue to update this story.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.