Queen Elizabeth Says "Call to Service of Others" Has Been "at the Centre of My Life" in Touching Letter
Several tentpole royal events—from the Trooping the Colour Parade to Royal Ascot and the Queen's garden parties—are either being reworked, postponed, or canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the Windsors are still finding ways to mark key occasions—even from a distance.
The annual Maundy Thursday service, during which Queen Elizabeth hands out commemorative coins to pensioners nominated by their local diocese, would have taken place today were it not for COVID-19. But the Queen was not about to skip the tradition entirely, instead choosing to deliver Maundy gifts through the mail, alongside a sweet letter.
In her message, the Queen notes that the Maundy service is about "a call to the service of others, something that has been at the centre of my life." She adds, "It is one of my most rewarding duties as Sovereign to observe this highly significant ceremony at such an important point in the Christian calendar."
This year, in the current circumstances, the traditional service could not go ahead in its usual form.
Instead, the Maundy purses and coins were blessed at the Chapel Royal, before being posted to recipients alongside a personal letter from Her Majesty. pic.twitter.com/s6ce7xH8Tu— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 9, 2020
Read her letter in full below.
I have great pleasure in sending you the Maundy Gift which, unfortunately, I am unable to distribute to you personally at the Royal Maundy Service in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Thursday, 9th April. This ancient Christian ceremony, which reflects Jesus’s instruction to his Disciples to love one another, is a call to the service of others, something that has been at the centre of my life. I believe it is a call to service for all of us.
It is one of my most rewarding duties as Sovereign to observe this highly significant ceremony at such an important point in the Christian calendar. I know that you, as a Recipient of this year’s Maundy Gift, will be as deeply disappointed as I am that it is not going ahead, while understanding the necessary decision in the current circumstances.
However, this should not mean your invaluable contribution within the community goes unnoticed, and I am sending this Maundy Gift to thank you for your Christian service.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your families at this difficult time.
With my best wishes to you this Easter.
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