It was pretty typical of my luck that the year that the Queen holds the Royal Maundy service in Christ Church cathedral here in Oxford and then pays another visit to Oriel, of which she is Visitor, and where Her Majesty had lunch with the Fellows in Hall, I had to be in London all day, so I will have to be dependent on newspaper and internet reports of today's events.
This was the first time the Maundy ceremony had been conducted in Oxford cathedral since 1643 when King Charles I was residing in the college during the Civil War.
The history and development of the service can be read online here. My post from 2011 about the ceremony can be read at The Royal Maundy.
The Queen distributes the Maundy money purses in the cathedral
Image: ITV/Press Association
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh outside Christ Church Cathedral after the service.
Image:ITV/Steve Parsons/PA Wire
There is a good selection of photographs of today's events in the report in the Daily Mail which can be seen here and there is a report with more local detail from the Oxford student newspaper Cherwell here.
There is a video link with film of the service in the report from the Daily Telegraph which can be viewed here.
Following the service in Christ Church the monarch and her consort travelled to Oriel for lunch with the Provost and Fellows. Oriel is the oldest royal foundation in either of the ancient universities and the Sovereign is Visitor. So the founder King Edward II's twenty times over great grandaughter came to her college today. The Oriel website has not yet got photographs available of the visit other than a masthead, but here is a photograph of Her Majesty leaving the college after lunch and looking both happy and in good health:
Image:oxforddailyphoto.blogspot
Thanks for sharing!
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