Royal news – live: King Charles gives first speech since Kate’s cancer diagnosis as Queen attends Maundy Thursday service

Queen Camilla has arrived at the annual Maundy Thursday Service as she steps in for King Charles at Worcester Cathedral.

Wearing a white coat, Camilla was pictured smiling as she arrived at the service where she will hand out ceremonial coins to 75 men and 75 women on behalf of the king.

Anti-Monarchy protesters gathered outside Worcester Cathedral this morning ahead of the Royal Maundy service.

Queen Camilla is due to attend the service in place of King Charles who has instead pre-recorded a personal Easter message that will be broadcast during the visit.

Camilla will hand out ceremonial coins to 150 people as part of a tradition that dates back to the 4th Century.

Lord High Almoner, Bishop of Worcester John Inge who will accompany the Queen told BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester:“It’s an occasion of great pomp and ceremony but at the same time, at its heart, lies the words with which the service begins, which I say – ‘A new commandment I give to you, love one another as I have loved you’.

“It’s an act of service and the monarch comes here to honour those who have given years of Christian service to church and community.”

Netflix drama The Crown is not to blame for the recent conspiracy theories surrounding the Princess of Wales, Sir Jonathan Pryce has said.

The actor, who plays Prince Phillip in the royal drama, was asked if the show “distorts people’s view of the monarchy and contributes to conspiracy theories” when he appeared on Andrew Marr’s LBC programme on Wednesday (27 March).

Sir Jonathan said: “It did nothing but enhance the image of the royal family. It made them an entirely sympathetic family with the problems we all have.”

The King is to stress the importance of acts of friendship “especially in a time of need” in a personal Easter message in the wake of his and the Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnosis.

Charles’s pre-recorded audio – his first public words since Kate revealed she was undergoing chemotherapy – will be broadcast at a Royal Maundy service in Worcester Cathedral on Thursday.

He will say how Jesus set an “example of how we should serve and care for each other”, and how as a nation “we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need”.

A media frenzy was born on Feb. 27, when the hashtag #WhereIsKate exploded online with speculation about the whereabouts of Britain’s Princess of Wales. It opened a rabbit hole of amateur detective work, memes, bizarre theories and jokes — mixed with genuine concern about Kate’s health — into which thousands of people descended until her announcement last week that she was recovering from cancer.

The episode offered the royal family — and everyone else — a lesson in the modern world of online media: If your silence leaves an information vacuum, others will rush to fill it. And the results may be messy.

“The royal family’s mantra is never complain, never explain,” said Ellie Hall, a journalist who specializes in covering Britain’s king and his court. “That really doesn’t work in a digital age. It doesn’t take much to get the crazy things going.”

Harry and Meghan contacted William and Kate after her shock cancer announcement, according to reports.

Combs, who faces a litany of sexual assault allegations, is said to have drawn guests to his infamous parties through his VIP associations with “celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artists, musicians and international dignitaries like British Royal, Prince Harry”, according to the legal notice.

With the royal family facing a string of health setbacks, the close relationship between King Charles and his “beloved daughter-in-law” has become increasingly apparent.

Charles is said to have driven to Windsor Castle to have lunch with Kate on Thursday, just one day before she announced that she had been diagnosed with the illness.