Queen Camilla appeared at the pre-Easter ceremony without Charles III: for the first time in history, she performed the duty of the monarch

Queen Camilla arrived at the annual Royal Maundy ceremony at Worcester Cathedral in Worcestershire on Easter Eve without Charles III due to his cancer treatment. The Consort on Maundy Thursday performed an important duty on behalf of the monarch and thus became the first wife in British history to temporarily replace her husband.

The king was obliged to present citizens with purses of coins as a sign of their honorable service to the state, and his wife did it instead. According to Hello!, despite the rainy weather, the event was attended by more than 200 people. Queen Camilla received many words of support regarding the health of her husband and daughter-in-law Kate Middleton.

"I just hope Kate is feeling well and I'm sorry to hear about her illness. I hope Kate finds some peace now to get better is what I wanted to say. I just wanted to come and see the Queen and just let her know what I was thinking," said 66-year-old Sheila Clarke, one of the attendees of the event.

Earlier, King Charles III recorded an audio message specifically for the Easter service. Since he was unable to attend the event, fans listened to the recording, which was created in mid-March.

In it, he made a veiled reference to his illness and his daughter-in-law. "The act of worship here in Worcester Cathedral reminds me of the vow I made at the beginning of my coronation service to follow Christ's example of 'not to be served but to serve'. I have always tried to follow this and continue to do so, with all my heart," Charles III said.

The Royal Maundy ceremony dates back to the 17th century when King Charles II began distributing bags of coins to people. This year, 75 men and 75 women who have rendered services to the state will receive two purses filled with money – red and white – from Queen Camilla. The number of people was chosen depending on the number of years the king had lived.

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