Royal Maundy Service explained as Queen misses it for first time in 52 years

ok.co.uk:

Her Majesty the Queen has pulled out of her traditional Easter Sunday service just days before it’s due to take place. Instead, the rest of the Royal Family will attend the annual gathering at St.

George’s Chapel in Windsor without the Queen.The sudden news comes after the palace announced that Prince Charles and Camilla would step in for today’s Maundy Service.

It’s the first time since 1970 that a member of the Royal Family (the Queen Mother at that time, as the Queen was in New Zealand) has stood in for the monarch.The tradition takes place on the Thursday before Easter Sunday each year, complete with some very strange practises!

From odour-busting bouquets to purses full of ‘Maundy money’, here’s what really happens during the Maundy Service. Ancient history According to the Royal Mint Museum, the Maundy Service has been a royal custom for centuries and could date back as early as the 1200s.The tradition sees members of the royal family distribute money and gifts, and mark Jesus Christ’s ‘simple act of humility’ by washing the feet of the poor.