Queen gives Maundy Money to Britain's oldest woman
- 00:00:27
- ITN
Queen gives Maundy Money to Britain's oldest woman
The Queen has presented Maundy Money to a 107-year-old former school matron in Bury St Edmunds. Kathleen Grimwood made history by becoming the oldest person to receive the commemorative coins from a reigning monarch. The Queen gave coins to 83 women and 83 men, one male and one female recipient for each year of her life, in a service that dates back to the 13th century. The Queen was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and handed two purses to each pensioner, a red purse containing a £5 coin celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Accession of Henry VIII and a 50p coin to celebrate the founding of Kew Gardens and a white purse containing 83p in Maundy coins. All the coins were minted this year. Miss Grimwood said: "It was a lovely day. I've seen the Queen before but not met her. "The only pity was that my eyesight is going now and I couldn't see very well at all." The ceremony has Biblical origins and echoes the story of Christ washing the feet of his disciples shortly before he died. Initially monarchs washed the feet of the poor on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, but in modern times, pensioners who have served their community have been selected to receive Maundy Money.
ITN | April 9, 2009
