Queen Camilla is about to part ways with age-old royal tradition. According to the Daily Mail , she plans to represent King Charles at the traditional Royal Maundy Day ceremony on March 28, making her the first queen (wife of a monarch) to host the event in history.
Charles' decision not to attend the funeral follows a statement from Buckingham Palace announcing that he would postpone all public-facing duties while he undergoes cancer treatment.
The Royal Maundy Day dates back to 600 AD and is held annually on the Thursday before Easter. During the ceremony, Britain's reigning monarch distributed "special washing money" to local pensioners to commemorate Jesus' washing of the apostles' feet at the Last Supper, as described on the official royal website.
This year's ceremony will be held at Worcester Cathedral, whose team recently issued a statement regarding Queen Camilla's upcoming visit.
The statement read: "We are very pleased to announce that we will be holding a Royal Maundy Day Service at the Cathedral on Maundy Thursday (March 28) to welcome Her Majesty to the Cathedral. "Her Majesty will be at the Cathedral. Royal Maundy Day gifts will be distributed on behalf of His Majesty the King at this year’s ceremony.”
Last year, Camilla attended the annual ceremony in York, England, with King Charles.
According to members of the Goeth royal family, the late Queen Elizabeth II held this traditional event in high regard, presiding over the ceremony almost every year during her seventy years on the throne. The royal foot-washing ceremony was Elizabeth's first official event after she ascended the throne in 1952. Her last royal foot-washing ceremony took place in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in 2019. The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
