King Charles was forced to miss the traditional Royal Maundy service last year after being diagnosed with cancer, but on Thursday, April 17, he made his return to the event with Queen Camilla. The 76-year-old King looked in good form as he chatted with well-wishers outside Durham Cathedral—and the monarch met one fuzzy friend with a tie to the Royal Family.
Queen Elizabeth was famous for her love of dogs—especially corgis— and one royal fan brought her own corgi to Durham on Thursday. Per GB News, Pat Johnson, a woman from Jarrow, England, waited with her 18-month-old Pembrokeshire corgi outside the cathedral hoping to meet The King and Queen.
"He asked if she was friendly, and he asked me what her name was," Johnson said, revealing her dog was named Lilibet, after Queen Elizabeth's nickname. As a young child, she couldn't pronounce her name and "Lilibet" stuck throughout her life; Prince Harry's daughter, Princess Lilibet, is also named after the late Queen.
"I said I named her after your mother and said, 'You look well'," Johnson continued. In reply, The King joked, "You are very kind, but it's all mirrors."
The King recently experienced a health setback when he was briefly hospitalized due to side effects from his cancer treatment. However, the monarch was soon on a plane to Italy for an official state visit with Queen Camilla, who noted that her husband wasn't one for slowing down.
The Royal Maundy service is steeped in hundreds of years of tradition and dates back to the 13th century, when King John was the first monarch recorded to distribute gifts to the poor. In modern times, specially minted silver coins called Maundy Money are given to senior citizens chosen for their contributions to the community and Christian service.
Thursday marked the second time The King has attended the Maundy Thursday service since taking the throne. In 2024, Queen Camilla attended the event solo while he recuperated from cancer treatments.
During the event, King Charles presented 76 men and 76 women with one red purse and one white purse containing coins, with the white one holding a special £5 coin commemorating the late Queen Mother and a 50 pence coin in honor of WWII.
On Sunday, The King and Queen will join other members of the Royal Family—but not Prince William and Kate Middleton—for the annual Easter Sunday service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor.
