The Queen to miss Maundy Thursday Service

Her Majesty The Queen will miss the Royal Maundy Service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Instead, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will represent Her Majesty.

The service is set to take place on Thursday, 14 April. Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his Apostles. The annual event is an important date on the royal calendar and will see the Prince follow the ancient tradition of distributing Maundy money to community stalwarts.

A palace source said the monarch, who turns 96 on 21 April, is unable to commit to attending, and she did not want her absence to overshadow the occasion. Therefore, the note of her not being in attendance is being made in advance. Since October, the monarch has cut back on physical engagements since she was hospitalised for a night for an unspecified illness. While it was not the coronavirus at the time, doctors had advised her to rest. She did catch the virus earlier this year but was said to only experience “cold-like symptoms.”

The Prince and Duchess will be met by the Dean of Windsor, The Right Reverend David Conner KCVO, and the Lord High Almoner, the Right Reverend Dr John Ingge. Their Royal Highnesses will be presented with nosegays at the start of the service, and during the service, the Prince will be seen disturbing the Maundy money.

Following the service, the Prince and Duchess will proceed to the West Steps for an official photograph of them and the Royal Maundy Party.

Last month, Her Majesty made her first public appearance in months at Westminster Abbey when she attended a Service of Thanksgiving in honour of her late husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh who passed away on 9 April 2021.