“In this country,we are blessed by all the different services that exist for our welfare,” he says in the message which was recorded along with a bible reading earlier this month.
“But over and above these organisations and their selfless staff,we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us,especially in a time of need.”
The recording was made before his daughter-in-law,Catherine,the Princess of Wales and wife of his eldest son Prince William,issued a video message in which she revealed she was having preventative chemotherapy after cancer was discovered in the aftermath of abdominal surgery in January.
While Charles is due to join other members of his family at a scaled-down Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle,his first public appearance at a royal event since it was disclosed in February he was suffering from an undisclosed form of cancer. He has been attending to his paperwork and dignitaries’ visits.
As she has done at other recent engagements,Queen Camilla stepped in for the King at the Maundy service,presenting 75 men and 75 women,to mark the King’s age,with two small purses containing symbolic gifts of specially minted coins.