RAF veteran's excitement over Maundy honour
BBCAn RAF veteran who has been chosen to receive Maundy money from King Charles III said it took him a couple of days "to come back to Earth" after learning the news.
Cpl Don Elsom, from Annfield Plain, near Consett in County Durham, will receive the specially-minted money at Durham Cathedral on Thursday.
A total of 152 people attending the ceremony will receive the honour to acknowledge their outstanding Christian service and making a difference in the community.
Mr Elsom, 96, said: "My hands are never steady now - so goodness knows what they'll be like when I'm there and see the King."
"The excitement will be at the highest level I've known," said Mr Elsom.
"It's unimaginable, almost, that some way or another I get chosen to receive the Maundy money from the King."
Royal Maundy takes place each year on the Thursday before Easter Day.
It is a special service in which the King expresses his gratitude to those who serve and volunteer in their communities.
"It will be the proudest moment of my life for certain," Mr Elsom said.
"I'm sure it will be a pleasure as well - I'm one of the few to be there."
"It's a wonderful thing to happen."
Last year, Mr Elsom marked his 95th birthday by walking 95 laps around his local primary school to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, having survived bowel cancer in 2012.
Mr Elsom said receiving the letter about the Maundy money honour from Buckingham Palace earlier this year, in January, had been a lovely surprise.
He recalled how he called a taxi company "straight away" to pre-book a cab from his home to Durham city for the big day.
"It must have taken me a couple of days before I came back to Earth," Mr Elsom said.
He will be accompanied by his daughter at the service, who has told him she would "have to learn how to curtsey".