In a historic day, Queen Camilla took on the role of King Charles in the traditional Maundy Thursday ceremony, setting a precedent in royal custom.
The 76-year-old British consort led the Royal Maundy Service while her husband remains away from public engagements due to his cancer treatment.
King Charles is expected to resume family activities during Sunday’s Easter service, despite his ongoing medical treatment.
Although King Charles was not present at the ceremony, his voice echoed through the cathedral via an audio message to those in attendance.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great sadness that I cannot be with you all today,” the monarch said in part. “Holy Mass has a very special place in my heart. It has its origins in the life of Our Lord who knelt before his disciples and, to their great surprise, washed their travel-weary feet. And, as we have just heard, in doing so he deliberately gave them, and all of us, an example of how we should serve and care for one another”.
Queen Camilla at the Royal Maundy Service
This time it was the Queen who took on the responsibility of presenting the traditional Royal Maundy gifts on behalf of the King at the annual service at Worcester Cathedral.
In doing so, Queen Camilla made history as the first consort to preside over this venerable tradition, which dates back to 600 AD in the Royal Family.
Queen Camilla arrived alone at Worcester Cathedral, where she was greeted by dignitaries and presented with a traditional nosegay, a bouquet of flowers, before taking her seat for the service in this temple founded in 680.
In a touching gesture to Queen Elizabeth, Camilla adorned her Fiona Clare coat with gold and sapphire flower brooches that once belonged to the late monarch.
In keeping with tradition, the Queen presented Maundy Purses to 75 men and 75 women, a number reflecting the King’s age.
Each recipient received a white and a red purse, symbolizing the generosity and continuity of the royal tradition.
The white wallet contained silver Maundy coins personalized for the occasion, while the red wallet contained a commemorative £5 coin adorned with a Tudor dragon and a 50 pence coin in honor of the bicentennial of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
This symbolic gift, given in gratitude for the recipients’ valuable contributions to local churches and communities, is drawn from Church of England dioceses and Anglican and ecumenical partners throughout the United Kingdom, People magazine reported.
Following the service, Queen Camilla made an appearance outside the cathedral, where she signed the visitors’ book and took time to pose for a photograph with the Royal Maundy recipients.
She also exchanged a few words with the groups who had contributed to this year’s event.
But what exactly is the Royal Maundy?
The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for “commandment,” which means command, reflecting Jesus’ command to love others.
Each year, on the Thursday before Easter, the monarch presides over a special service.
According to the royal family’s official website, the Maundy coins have retained their design over the centuries, and the custom of giving them to pensioners symbolizes Jesus’ gesture of humility in washing the apostles’ feet during the Last Supper.