After King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis in 2024, Queen Camilla made royal history as the first consort to participate in the Maundy Thursday ritual of passing out coin purses to community elders. Though the king’s treatment is still ongoing, this year he and the queen traveled together to Durham Cathedral to hand out the annual Royal Maundy money to 76 men and women, a number chosen to reflect the king’s age. This year’s gift also included a special £5 coin commemorating the Queen Mother, with a message about World War II.
The ceremony, which takes place during Holy Week in the run-up to Easter Sunday, honors recipients for outstanding Christian service in a different Church of England cathedral every year. On Thursday morning, the king also released his annual Easter message, where he praised humanitarians who respond to the atrocities of war. “There are three virtues that the world still needs — faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love,” he wrote. “It is with these timeless truths in my mind, and my heart, that I wish you all a blessed and peaceful Easter.”’
The statement also mentioned the personal significance of the day’s event, emphasizing the connections between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. “On Maundy Thursday, Jesus knelt and washed the feet of many of those who would abandon Him. His humble action was a token of His love that knew no bounds or boundaries and is central to Christian belief,” the king continued. ”The love He showed when he walked the Earth reflected the Jewish ethic of caring for the stranger and those in need, a deep human instinct echoed in Islam and other religious traditions, and in the hearts of all who seek the good of others.
The special outing comes just one week after the king, who also serves as the head of the Church of England, and queen met with Pope Francis during their royal tour to Italy. According to the palace, Charles and Camilla were “delighted” see the pope, who is recovering from a lengthy hospital stay for double pneumonia, and “to have had the opportunity to share their best wishes in person.”
