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Choirs in harmony to mark life of a Queen
SPANISH dignitaries and school children helped recreate a chapter of Tudor history to remember a queen who was buried in the city.
The Katharine of Aragon Commemoration Service was held yesterday at Peterborough Cathedral to mark her spectacular funeral that took place there 476 years ago.
More than 100 school children from four city schools, led by the Mayor of Peterborough Cllr Paula Thacker and her guests, walked in a sombre procession from St John the Baptist Church and through Cathedral Square.
The cortege, met by Tudor musicians at the Cathedral doors, filed inside for the tenth annual service.
The Rev Canon Bruce Ruddock called the service an act of worship, giving thanks for the life of a remarkable woman and first wife of Henry VIII, rather than entertainment or a history lesson.
He said: “Katharine was a committed and devout Christian. This was one reason that, while her husband treated her so badly, she could find it in her heart to forgive him.”
Wreaths and pomegranates, the fruit used in her coat of arms, were laid on the tomb as Southfields Primary School choir sang a hymn by the English composer Elgar.
José Antonio González-Bueno, first secretary of the UK Embassy of Spain, thanked the city for honouring Katharine’s memory.
He said: “The Spanish Embassy regards this annual service celebrating Katharine as a key event to attend.
“We very much enjoy the honouring of her name in this way, particularly with the civic and school involvement, and enjoy building the profile of this wonderful woman closely with the city of Peterborough.”
Tina Doyle, director of creative arts at the Peterborough School read Katharine’s last letter to her husband, after Alex King from Jack Hunt School read the proverb of The Good Wife in Spanish. Choirs from Middleton Primary School, Dogsthorpe Junior School and the Peterborough School also performed.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
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