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How a king turned an ancient tradition into a gift of flowers for his queen

it’s an ancient tradition which has been given a very personal touch by The King as his wife, Queen Camilla, represents him at one of the most important events in the royal calendar so that he can continue his cancer treatment.

Monarchs have presented Maundy money for centuries and part of the ceremony is the presentation of floral nosegays to the royal guests.

And although King Charles won’t be at Worcester Cathedral for the service, His Majesty has ensured that the flowers given to his Queen are linked to him.

King Charles has asked the Worcester Cathedral Flower Guild to create the nosegays which will be presented to Queen Camilla.

It’s a royal first and to show how important these blooms are to The King, Buckingham Palace has shared footage of the flowers being prepared ahead of The Queen’s attendance at Worcester.

The nosegays are filled with local flowers including bright yellow spring daffodils, pale blue muscari and striking purple tulips. There is also plenty of pear blossom from Worcester trees.

The King wanted the nosegays to be sustainable.

The posies will be given to Queen Camilla at the start of the service.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.