- By Sean Coughlan
- Royal Correspondent
King Charles has revealed his “great sadness” at not attending the Maundy service
King Charles III has spoken of his “great sadness” at missing the traditional Maundy Thursday service.
The king is not attending public events while he is being treated for cancer, but recorded a message which was played at the service at Worcester Cathedral.
Instead, Queen Camilla was at the service where she handed out money to Maundy.
The unique coins are given to seniors who have helped the church and local community.
The number of Maundy money recipients corresponds to the age of the monarch – so 75 men and 75 women received this symbolic gift this year.
In his message, the king reaffirmed his coronation pledge “not to be served, but to serve” with “all my heart.”
He praised those who “lend a hand of friendship, especially in times of need.”
He added: “It is a great sadness for me that I cannot be with you today.”
Around 200 people braved cold and wet weather to catch a glimpse of the Queen as she arrived at the service, which takes place on the Thursday before Easter each year.
After the ceremony, Sheila Clarke, 66, presented the Queen with a bouquet of flowers, a picture of the King and Queen taken at the Scottish Games in Braemar and a card for Catherine, Princess of Wales.
“I just wanted to come and see the Queen,” said Mrs Clarke, a retired teacher from Glasgow. “And to tell her that I’m thinking about her.”
The king’s message, recorded in mid-March, included a reading from the Bible and an appeal that as a nation, “We need and greatly benefit from those who lend us a friendly hand, especially in times of need.”
The 150 recipients of the Maundy money today “are wonderful examples of such kindness; for going far beyond the call of duty and giving so much of their lives in service to others in their communities,” he said.
The Queen distributed the traditional Maundy money
The Maundy Service, where the monarch distributes gifts, is one of the oldest royal ceremonies, dating back to at least the 13th century and the reign of King John, the monarch who is buried in this medieval cathedral.
By James II in the 17th century, the monarch also used to wash the feet of the poor, echoing Jesus washing the apostles’ feet at the Last Supper.
The ceremony now includes the distribution of coin purses to seniors who have been involved in helping the church and local community.
Sophie Dodds, 85, received a lot of money at the service
This year’s recipients received Tudor dragon £5 coins, 50 pence commemorating the 200th anniversary of The Royal National Lifeboat Institution and specially minted silver Maundy coins.
Norman Tomlinson, 72, of Mansfield, received the unique coins for his work with the local hospice and the Catholic Church, which includes giving communion to the sick and homebound.
He said receiving money from Maundy was a “once in a lifetime” experience and that he told the Queen he hoped the King and Princess of Wales would be well soon.
The king continued to hold meetings, including on Wednesday when he held an audience with Mohammed Nasheed, secretary general of the Climate Vulnerable Forum
He has not attended any major public events with large crowds, but will attend the Easter church service on Sunday morning at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
It will be a smaller event this Easter, with the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children not attending as Catherine continues her recovery.
The King had sent a video message to the annual Commonwealth Service earlier this month, but it is understood Worcester Cathedral does not have video facilities, so an audio message was played instead.
Sumptuous coins in red leather purses were handed out by the Queen
Anti-monarchy group Republic issued a statement ahead of the service saying the monarchy was “bad for British democracy” and the Queen’s visit to Worcester would be a sign of “how out of touch the monarchy is with the values of most of us”.
Chants of protest were heard as the Queen arrived at Worcester Cathedral.