Queen Camillahas a date with royal history on her calendar in the coming weeks.
On Monday, Worcester Cathedral announced that the Queen, 76, will distribute the Royal Maundy gifts on behalf ofKing Charlesat the Royal Maundy Service on March 28.
While Queen Camilla has participated in the Royal Maundy Service with her husband before, she will become the first consort to lead the ancient tradition, theDaily Mailreported. King Charles, 75, has postponed public-facing duties while receivingcancer treatment, and the outlet described his anticipated absence at the Maundy service as “the most significant royal event” he will miss to date.
The Worcester Cathedral team shared a festive message about Queen Camilla’s upcoming visit after the news was announced.
“We are SO excited to announce that we will be welcoming Her Majesty The Queen to the Cathedral on Maundy Thursday (28 March) as we host the Royal Maundy service,” officials wrote onXon Monday, posting a photo of the ancient church and the coins that will be awarded.
The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for “commandment,” and the British monarch leads the Maundy Service each year on the Thursday before Easter. According to the royal family’swebsite, the service dates back to 600 A.D. and traditionally sees the monarch distribute Maundy money, or coins, to local pensioners (retirees) in a parallel to Jesus washing the Apostles’ feet at the Last Supper.
The monarch “distributes gifts according to the number of years they have lived,” and Worcester Cathedral said that ceremonial coins will be presented to 75 men and 75 women (signifying the King’s age) this year. Each recipient receives two coin purses, one red and one white. The first contains standard coins symbolizing a gift from the sovereign for food and clothing, and the second is filled with Maundy coins amounting to the monarch’s age, the royal family’s website said.
“The coins are legal tender, but recipients normally prefer to retain them as a keepsake,” the site says.
King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Royal Maundy Service at York Minster on April 6, 2023 in York, England.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
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Queen Elizabeth distributes Maundy money during the Royal Maundy Service at St George’s Chapel in 2019.ARTHUR EDWARDS/AFP via Getty Images
Last year’s Royal Maundy Service marked King Charles and Queen Camilla’s first Maundy ceremony of the new royal reign, though theyfilled infor his mother at the event in 2022. There, then-Prince Charles did the honors of distributing the Maundy money. It was his first time filling in for Queen Elizabeth at the event and Camilla’s first time attending.
Queen Camilla has played animportant rolein supporting King Charles throughout his period of cancer treatment while continuing with a full schedule of public duties.
“She is his strength and stay like [Prince Philip] was for the late Queen,” a palace insidertells PEOPLE. “She will be great. She will rally him, she will buoy him. She is amazing. She equips him to do the job he has to do.”
source: people.com
