Royal visit
Queen hands out Maundy money
SENIOR citizens from across the borough were among 91 men and 91 women to receive Maundy money from the Queen at a service in Leicester Cathedral last Thursday April 13.
They were nominated for the royal honour in recognition of service to the church and their local communities, and chosen in numbers to represent the Queen’s age.
At the service, the Queen, accompanied on the day by the Duke of Edinburgh, presented each of the 182 recipients with two purses, one red and one white.
The red purse contained a £5 coin commemorating the cen- tenary of the House of Windsor and a 50p coin produced in honour of Sir Isaac Newton, both minted this year.
Historically, the sum of £5.50 comprised £3 for clothes, £1.50 for provisions and £1 to represent a piece of the sovereign’s gown which, before Tudor times, used to be divided between the recipients.
The White Purse contained specially-minted Maundy money in the form of silver penny pieces equal to the number of years of the monarch’s age.
This year, 91 pennies of silver coins, which are legal tender, were given to each recipient.
Royal Maundy is one of the most ancient ceremonies still practised in the Church of England and commemorates the last supper shared by Jesus and his disciples.
On duty during the service were the Queen’s bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard, the UK’s oldest military body, dating from the start of the Tudor reign following the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
Stationed around the cathedral during the service, they wore full uniform, featuring the Tudor crown which commemorates their original appointment.
After the service the royal guests attended a reception and community lunch at St Martin’s House next to the cathedral.