London, UK - The British royals have been struggling with negative headlines for some time, but Kate Middleton was beaming with joy at the Commonwealth Service – the first major public gathering of the family since the arrest of ex-Prince Andrew.

On Monday, the royal family appeared more exuberant than ever, despite all the drama surrounding Andrew's ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

As The Sun reported, the 44-year-old princess was joined by her husband, Prince William, and several other members of the family at the event in the famous Westminster Abbey.

King Charles also seemed visibly delighted to be reunited with his relatives.

However, for the first time in around 40 years, British television did not film the ceremony.

With around 1,800 guests, the service paid tribute to the strength and cohesion of the modern Commonwealth community.

Even though some high-ranking royals attended the service, the family still appeared rather thinned out: since the Andrew scandal, neither his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, nor their two daughters have appeared publicly at such events.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who stepped down from their roles as working royals in 2020, also stayed away from the event.

The tense atmosphere within the royal family seemed to have eased somewhat, but they continue to be overshadowed by the Epstein scandal.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested at his home a few weeks ago on suspicion of abuse of office.

He and Ferguson are also said to have had a close relationship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.

It's even being considered whether Andrew should be removed from the line of succession – he is currently still in eighth place.

According to reports, Ferguson is also said to have recently entered a rehab clinic and is effectively homeless following the eviction from Royal Lodge.