text: She was just eight when she first attended the Maundy Day service. The then Princess Elizabeth was photographed in 1935 at Westminster Abbey in her smart bonnet and buttoned-up coat. It would be another 18 years before her coronation. Eighty years on, the Queen yesterday gave out Maundy coins in the pre-Easter tradition. Resplendent in a turquoise coat by Stewart Parvin and matching hat, the Queen was all smiles as she arrived at Sheffield Cathedral for the traditional ceremony. Eighty years ago: The then Princess Elizabeth was pictured in Westminster Abbey at the service in 1935 . Handing out alms: The Queen presents a lady with the two Maundy Purses at Sheffield Cathedral . Joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty was there to present 'alms' to 89 women and 89 men, among them D-Day veteran, Denis Gratton. 'It was just quick. I'm not very good at hearing,' said Mr Gratton, 91, after the ceremony. 'She did say something but I'm not sure what it were.' The Queen, who had arrived on the Royal Train, was driven to the cathedral where she got a warm welcome from the flag-waving crowd and was presented with a nosegay of spring flowers. Met at the church door by Peter Bradley, the Dean of Sheffield, and the local Bishop, Steven Croft, Her Majesty spoke briefly to the clergymen before being whisked inside for the service. After the hour-long service, the Queen posed for pictures with the Yeoman of the Guard, who had lined the cathedral's aisles during the ceremony. The Royal party then left for a reception at Sheffield Town Hall as the recipients emerged into the sunshine, all pleased with their royal acknowledgement. Patricia Durkin, 72, said: 'It was brilliant, absolutely wonderful. When I got here the atmosphere was tremendous.' The Royal Maundy Service is one of the UK's oldest royal customs and sees the monarch distribute alms in the shape of two purses of specially minted coins. This year, the Red Purse contains a £5 coin, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Winston Churchill and a 50p coin commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Custom: Monarchs have been presenting Maundy Money since 1210 and King John . Commemorative: The red and white bags contain commemorative coins, this year featuring Winston Churchill . Thank you: A gentleman looks pleased as he receives his commemorative coins from the Queen . Bodyguard: The Queen was accompanied by the Yeoman of the Guard who carried in the purses . Signing up: The Queen signed the visitor's book at Sheffield Cathedral before she left . Tradition: The Queen and Prince Philip were handed traditional nosegays made from spring flowers . Historically, this sum of £5.50 in the Red Purse is made up of £3 for clothing, £1.50 in lieu of provisions and £1 for the redemption of the Sovereign's gown. The White Purse contains uniquely minted Maundy Money, which, unlike coins in general circulation,   bear the portrait of the Queen produced by Mary Gillick at the start of her reign. Gillick, a sculptor, designed the portrait which appeared on the coins of the UK and some Commonwealth countries from 1953 until preparations for decimalisation began in 1968. The portrait of the Queen wearing a wreath on her head was considered to reflect the nation's optimism as it greeted a new monarch in the post-war years. The Royal Maundy is an ancient ceremony which has its origin in the commandment Christ gave after washing the feet of his disciples the day before Good Friday. Warm welcome: The Queen is greeted at Sheffield Cathedral ahead of the traditional Royal Maundy Service . Jaunty: The Queen, looking wonderful in turquoise, arrived in the state Bentley with the Duke of Edinburgh . Cheerful: The Duke of Edinburgh was on jolly form as he arrived for the service . Busy week: The Queen will also appear at church in Windsor on Easter Sunday . Meeting: The Queen speaks to the Dean and Bishop of Sheffield ahead of the Royal Maundy Service . In an echo of the Last Supper, mediaeval and Tudor monarchs also washed the feet of beggars during the service. Unlike the nosegay, which was originally introduced as a means of disguising the repellent smell, that custom failed to survive the 18th century. The first monarch to take part in a Maundy Thursday service was King John, of Magna Carta and Robin Hood fame, who distributed gifts of clothes and money to the poor in Knaresborough in 1210. John was also the first to present the poor with silver coins and is recorded as having done so in Rochester in 1213. John's grandson Edward I, the king known to posterity as 'the Hammer of the Scots', was the first to confine the tradition to Maundy Thursday alone, which, until his reign, could be conducted on any day of the year. Recipient: One of the men receiving Maundy Money clutches his ticket as he arrives for the service . Enthusiastic: A little girl waves as the Queen's Bentley pulls up outside the Cathedral . Patriotic: Crowds of people waited outside the Cathedral, many clutching Union Flags . Turn out: A lady keeps her Union Flags tucked under her arm as she waits to see the Queen . Long wait: Many of the well-wishers outside the Cathedral had waited there for hours . By 1363 and Edward III, the tradition had evolved into a ceremony that is still recognisable today, with monarchs handing out money equivalent to their age in years. The ceremony was little changed by the dawn of the Tudor period, although rulers could - and did - increase the number of beggars involved to show their religious devotion and humility. None took it more seriously than Mary I - or Bloody Mary - who in 1556 washed the feet of 41 'poor women' and spent the entire ceremony on her knees. Later monarchs were less keen on the service, with some, among them Charles I, rarely bothering to take part. Charles II, anxious to curry favour with his subjects following the Restoration, took part in the ceremony without fail, including during the plague years. Originator: The custom originated with King John, shown here signing the Magna Carta in June 1209 . Modernising: The 800-year-old tradition used to involve washing beggars' feet - hence the nosegay . Smell: The scented nosegays were originally used to disguise the stench of unwashed people . All smiles: The Queen, who has only missed the ceremony four times, was all smiles as she arrived . Schoolchildren: The Queen was also introduced to a group of schoolchildren outside the cathedral . Although today's ceremony takes place in a different location each year, Queen Victoria insisted on doing it at Westminster Abbey - a custom that remained in place until the Queen took the throne in 1952. The Queen has taken part in the Royal Maundy Service in all but four years of her reign, including in 1954 when she was away touring the Commonwealth. She was also forced to pull out in 1960 thanks to the imminent birth of Prince Andrew, again in 1964 for the birth of Prince Edward and in 1970 due to a tour of New Zealand. Dapper: The 93-year-old Duke of Edinburgh cut a dapper figure in his tailored suit . Bodyguards: The Queen was flanked by members of King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard . Long history: The Yeomen have been part of British life since 1485 and are the UK's oldest military body . On her way: After the ceremony, the Queen was driven away for a lunch at Sheffield Town Hall . Busy: The scene outside Sheffield Cathedral ahead of the Queen and Prince Philip's arrival .
target: The Queen has distributed the traditional Maundy Money in Sheffield .
  Two bags of coins were presented to 89 men and 89 women during service .
  One was brave D-Day veteran, 91-year-old Denis Gratton .
  Her Majesty arrived in the city on the Royal Train with Prince Philip .
  Royal Maundy tradition dates back to 1210 and the infamous King John .
  John, who appears in Robin Hood, was also forced to sign the Magna Carta .
  Royals were once required to wash the feet of beggars during the service .
  Only the nosegay, intended to hide the smell, still survives of that part .