King Charles makes 7-word health admission to royal fan during Durham Cathedral visit

has thanked a well-wisher who told him he looked in good health, joking: "You are very kind, it's all mirrors." He made the remark as he resumed his key role at the Royal Maundy Service, having missed last year's ceremony while he was receiving cancer treatment.

Charles was joined by the Queen for the traditional service, held this year at Durham Cathedral, as he handed out Maundy Money to local pensioners. Earlier on Thursday, the King issued an Easter message focused on the power of "faith, hope and love" as he sought to build bridges between different faiths.

Charles, 76, also said people are "capable of both great cruelty and great kindness", calling it "one of the puzzles of our humanity".

"This paradox of human life runs through the Easter story and in the scenes that daily come before our eyes, at one moment, terrible images of human suffering and, in another, heroic acts in war-torn countries where humanitarians of every kind risk their own lives to protect the lives of others," he continued.

"A few weeks ago, I met many such people at a reception in Buckingham Palace and felt a profound sense of admiration for their resilience, courage and compassion."

He was referring to the reception he hosted in February to celebrate exceptional individuals and organisations which contribute towards humanitarian efforts across the globe.

The King has spent decades promoting tolerance and greater understanding between different faiths and communities, and used his Easter message to praise the goodness in the Jewish and Islamic faiths.

For Christians, Maundy Thursday service commemorates Jesus's Last Supper when he washed his disciples' feet as an act of humility.

The King said Jesus's actions were a "token of His love that knew no bounds or boundaries and is central to Christian belief".

He said: "The love He showed when He walked the Earth reflected the Jewish ethic of caring for the stranger and those in need, a deep human instinct echoed in Islam and other religious traditions, and in the hearts of all who seek the good of others.

"The abiding message of Easter is that God so loved the world, the whole world, that He sent His son to live among us to show us how to love one another, and to lay down His own life for others in a love that proved stronger than death.

"There are three virtues that the world still needs, faith, hope and love. 'And the greatest of these is love'."

Large crowds gathered outside Durham Cathedral from the early hours as they eagerly awaited the royal arrivals.

When the King and Queen arrived shortly after 11am, huge cheers erupted from the flag-waving well-wishers, many of whom were clad in Union flags.

A small protest by the anti-monarch group Republic were heard shouting 'Down with the Crown and 'Not my King' who held their bright yellow placards high in the air.

Inside, they were presented with small nosegays, a small flower bouquet, before joining the procession through the Nave as the service began.

During the hour-long ceremony, the King handed out Maundy Money to 76 men and 76 women - one for each year of his life - to thank them for their "outstanding Christian service and making a difference to the loves of their local communities.

The recipients were presented with two purses, one red and one white, containing Maundy Money.

The white purse contains newly minted coins while the red one has a £5 coin commemorating the Queen Mother and a 50p coin featuring Second World War stories.

They were carried by Yeomen on Crown Jewel plates from the Tower of London.

The King and Queen, who wore a dark green coat dress by Anna Valentine and green hat by Philip Treacy, also spent time marvelling at the cathedral's 800-year-old Magna Carta.

Charles said: "Remarkable, great to see it intact."

After making their way outside the royal couple stopped to greet the hundreds gathered outside.

Pat Johnson, 54, of Jarrow, South Tyneside, attracted Charles's attention after bringing 18-month-old Pembrokeshire corgi called Lilibet to the stand outside the service.

She said afterwards: "He asked if she was friendly and he asked me what her name was.

"I said I named I named her after your mother and said 'you look well and he said 'you are very kind but it's all mirrors.'"

This was Charles's second Maundy Service as King and the Queen stood in for him last year after he had been forced to rest after being diagnosed with cancer.

The service, which used to feature the monarch washing the feet of the poor as Jesus did, is a major point in the Royal calendar.

Before the service, the Dean of Durham, Very Reverend Philip Plyming said: "Maundy Thursday is about remembering the service and sacrifice of Jesus and it will be so special to celebrate in such a memorable way those who live out the example of Jesus today."