The Queen has been forced to cancel plans to attend an Easter tradition as concerns around her health and mobility grow. Her Majesty will be represented at the Maundy Thursday service by Prince Charles and Camilla, marking the first time Charles has stood in for the Queen in this duty.
- The Queen will miss the Maundy Thursday Easter tradition as concerns around her health grow.
- Her Majesty will be represented by the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
- In other royal news, Prince Philip treated the Queen 'like another human being'—and he was the only one who ever did.
The Queen’s Easter gift tradition is thought to be one of Her Majesty’s favorite events as the monarch traditionally distributes Maundy money to pensioners and community figures at the service.
Her Majesty is renowned for always giving back, especially to pensioners and people who served in the war. During coronavirus, she went out of her way to make a private pilgrimage to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of his burial.
The Easter traditions are, therefore, thought to be important to the deeply religious Queen. Instead of attending in person, Her Majesty will be represented at the ceremony for the first time by Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
This is the first Maundy Thursday service to be held in person since 2019, due to coronavirus restrictions canceling them in 2020 and 2021.
The Queen last attended the service in 2019, where she was joined by her granddaughter, Princess Eugenie.
This year’s ceremony will take place on April 14 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
What is Maundy Thursday?
Maundy Thursday is part of the Christian celebration of Easter and marks the night of the Last Supper as told in the Bible.
The name Maundy and the intent of the ceremony itself derive from the Latin word for mandate (or command) and refers to an instruction of Jesus Christ at the Last Supper that his followers should love one another. As a gesture, he washed the feet of his disciples as an act of kindness.
For the Queen, the service has always included the distribution of what is known as Maundy Money.
These small silver coins, officially known as the Queen's Maundy money, are symbolic alms given typically to elderly recipients.
The coins are technically legal tender, but they are more keepsakes. A small sum of regular money is also given alongside the Queen’s Maundy money gesture.
Today, the service is typically held in a different church every year.
-
Our experts explain why all five of us love the Magimix Powerblend 4 for a family homeThe Magimix Power Blender 4 is the best quality blender on the market: it can handle hot and cold foods, boasts immense power - it is a firm woman&home favourite
-
December dullness kicked in? These glow-boosting tan drops never let me down during the festive seasonIt's hard to maintain party-ready radiance in winter, but our beauty writer swears by these easy overnight drops
-
Where do King Charles and Queen Camilla live, do they own Clarence House and how many bedrooms does their sentimental home have?King Charles has lived at Clarence House since 2003 and although he and Queen Camilla might move one day, it's a very special royal home
-
Kate Middleton’s favourite hobby that is ‘less than satisfying’ for King CharlesKate Middleton's favourite hobby is one her father-in-law isn't a fan of and King Charles took up something else after finding it 'impossible'
-
King Charles's 'constant battle' with Queen Camilla that he 'usually wins'King Charles and Queen Camilla have been described by her sister as 'polar opposites' and this apparently leads to a lot of 'banter' at home
-
Dame Shirley Bassey just broke protocol in front of King Charles and reacted with an ‘instinctive’ moveShirley Bassey broke protocol at a prestigious ceremony with King Charles at Windsor Castle though, thankfully, he didn't seem to mind
-
Princess Anne's nickname for King Charles is unusual to say the least but it reflects their 'very close' bondThe Princess Royal has the sweetest nickname for her brother King Charles and has been described by an expert as his 'right-hand woman'
-
Queen Camilla and King Charles’s ‘competition’ at home is remarkably unroyal and it really kicks off this time of yearQueen Camilla once revealed that she and King Charles get 'competitive' over a hobby that many fans might not imagine them doing
-
King Charles’s special ‘protocol change’ for Kate Middleton at Trooping the Colour is so movingKing Charles could have reportedly made a change to the balcony appearance for the Princess of Wales in line with his 'preference'
-
Prince Archie 'loves' that his grandpa King Charles 'lives in a castle' - and is 'desperate to visit him'Young Archie is said to be 'desperate' to visit his grandpa, King Charles
