Prince and Princess of Wales Visit St David’s Cathedral

September 11, 2023198 views0

Prince and Princess of Wales Visit St David’s Cathedral

2023-09-11T09:40:48+01:00

By Church News

The Prince and Princess of Wales visited St David’s Cathedral to commemorate the life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death.They took part in a short service, An Act of Reflection on Accession Day, before laying flowers before an official portrait of the late Queen.The Dean of St David’s, Sarah Rowland Jones, welcomed the Prince and Princess and guided them from the Great West Door of the Cathedral.In the Quire, the Prince and Princess stopped to see the Sovereign’s Stall, unique in a British Cathedral. Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the only monarch to have sat in the Sovereign’s Stall, having done so on each of her four visits to St David’s.Leading the service, Dean Sarah said it was “particularly poignant” to welcome the Prince and Princess of Wales on Accession Day, the first anniversary of the death of the Queen.She said: “Today countless numbers will be remembering her, with both sadness and with great affection; giving thanks again for her long life of dedicated service – as we do here.“In reflecting on her faithfulness, we reflect also on that greater faithfulness of God to his people: the promise, of which the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the ultimate witness and guarantee, of God’s loving desire to work for good, for us and in us and through us; to help us do and be our best, whoever we may be, if we will only let him, trusting ourselves into his hands.“Pilgrims past and present have sought God’s help, as they have come here seeking answers to questions, solutions to problems, healing, or just yearning for refreshment and renewal. Our prayer is that all who come, for whatever reason, may be profoundly touched by being in this place, and find God’s answers to their prayers.“Today, as we reflect, may each of us know God’s comfort in our sorrows, his strength for life’s challenges, and his promise of faithful companionship with us, as we travel onwards with him, wherever our pilgrim journey leads.”After the service, the Prince and Princess viewed the restored Shrine of St. David and the tomb of Edmund Tudor, father of Henry VII, and direct, Welsh, antecedent of the Royal family.They then signed the visitors’ book and saw the Cathedral’s Book of Condolence, in which thousands of people wrote tributes to the Queen following her death. Moving to the cloisters, the Prince and Princess met members of the community with links to Her Late Majesty, and others involved in areas in which the Prince and Princess have a particular interest, including mental health, the environment, early years education and sport.ALSO READ: A Prayer for God to Move in My Life – Tiffany Thibault