Queen Elizabeth II has had to break with tradition for one of her "most rewarding duties as sovereign" and handed out specially minted coins to pensioners from across the UK, to reward their community spirit, Sky News reported.
The 188 recipients who should have attended the Royal Maundy Service have been sent the traditional £5 coin and a 50 pence piece in a purse along with a letter from the Queen.
According to her letter, “I have great pleasure in sending you the Maundy Gift which, unfortunately, I am unable to distribute to you personally.”
“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."
