Royal touch (Caroline Era)

The Royal Touch is a practice revived by the King on 19th April, 1984, Maundy Thursday.

Former History
Edward the Confessor introduced the Royal Touch in the eleventh century. It was particularly popular for Scrofula, a form of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes of the neck which became known as the "King's Evil". In the fifteenth century, monarchs began to "bless" certain coins with what was perceived as a special healing power. The existence of the Royal Touch was seen as evidence for the Divine Right of Kings.

After James I of England came to the throne in 1603, he publically expressed scepticism about the efficacy of the Touch, as he held that "the age of miracles is past and only God can work them". Nevertheless, he did practice it, often at a distance.

The last British monarch to attempt to impart the Touch was Queen Anne, who attempted to heal a child by it on 14th April 1714. Her successor, George I, refused to participate but the Stuart line continued to do so until the death of "Henry IX" in 1807. The French monarchy pursued the same tradition until Charles X, who died in 1836. That was the last time it had been practiced.

Prelude to revival
The "Kingmaker" allegedly persuaded the Queen to abdicate in Charles's favour as of June 1983. On 6th June 1982, the Prince of Wales unexpectedly cancelled all his engagements for a month, sent most of his staff on paid holiday and went on retreat at Balmoral Castle. He is thought to have spent that month alone in meditation, eating a simple diet and fasting much of the time. On 6th July, the Queen called a live televised press conference at Balmoral with the Queen and a series of announcements were made:
 * The Queen declared that in June 1983, she would abdicate and her son would be crowned king. She then made a short speech thanking her subjects for their loyalty and support and explaining that the time was ripe for her to move aside for the younger generation and wishing the Commonwealth the best for the future.