I feel honoured to have been chosen and excited to meet the King say Wearside children ahead of Royal Maundy Service

Royal Maundy takes place each year on the Thursday before Easter Sunday and is a special service in which The King expresses his gratitude for those who serve and volunteer in their communities by giving them Maundy Money.

By ancient tradition, four children accompany the monarch as he walks around the cathedral distributing the Maundy Money, each carrying a posy of flowers.

This year, Euan Black and Indrakshi Chatterjee from Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation and Sam Parkinson and Eve Brown from Durham Johnston School have been invited to play these historic roles in the service and their parents have been invited to the service to witness this proud moment.

Year 6 pupil Euan Black, 11, said: “In the future I will never forget that on Maundy Thursday I will be personally introduced to the King and Queen in front of my parents. It will be a remarkable day although I will of course be nervous.”

Ten year old Indrakshi Chatterjee said: “I am really excited and grateful to be able to take part in this important service and looking forward to meeting The King and Queen.”

Her mum Chetana added: “We are very honoured that Indrakshi is taking part in this service and very grateful to her school for giving her this opportunity. It is a matter of great pride to be able to meet the King and Queen and I am sure she will cherish this experience always.”

During the service, 152 recipients, 76 men and 76 women - signifying the age of the monarch - will be presented by The King, with specially-minted Maundy money to thank them for their outstanding Christian service and for making a difference to the lives of people in their local communities.

The main duty for the Almonry children is to follow behind King Charles during the distribution of the Maundy Money. The children will also wear their school uniforms to represent their school community.

Sam Parkinson, 12, said: "I am very grateful to have the opportunity to take part in such an important service, and I am excited to meet the King and the Queen."

Sam's parents added: “We are delighted that Sam has the chance to be involved in such a wonderful occasion, and that he will have a part to play in assisting the King as he honours the outstanding Christian service of people in our communities.’”

The Maundy Service is rooted in the tradition of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet in the Upper Room the night before his death and goes back to medieval times.

Each child will carry a posy of flowers, signifying the fact that in ancient times the monarch actually washed the feet of people at the service as a re-enactment of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet.

The flowers the Children of the Royal Almonry will carry have been made by the Cathedral Flower Arranging Volunteers and Floral Designer and Flower Farmer Deborah Simpson Boston, the same team who are creating the wider floral displays decorating the cathedral.