Mother's Day - Religious and royal

Clarence House

With flowers, chocolate and gifts to cover up the guilt of unreturned phone calls, Mother's Day is approaching. Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, the day which is now associated with capitalism and cards was originally a religious event in the United Kingdom, Mothering Day. Traditionally, people would return to their "mother" church, and in connection with this, their childhood home. Taking a little break from the no-sweets rule of Lent, families would enjoy a cake, something many do to this day.

The modern interpretation of Mothering Day has been influenced by the American Mother's Day, even though this is celebrated in May across the pond. A woman called Anna Jarvis campaigned for the American Mother's Day and succeed, with the first official Mother's Day celebrated in 1908 in a church in West Virginia. American soldiers brought the American style of celebration with them to Europe, and ever since, the day has become less about visiting your old church and more about honouring your mother.

Everybody has a mother, even Prince Charles. Clarence House, home to the Prince of Wales, released footage from the 1950s earlier this month, showing Queen Elizabeth II playing with her oldest son. And if you're wondering how the Prince might celebrate his mother, The Body Shop made a video suggesting how in 2015. Watch the video, complete with corgis, further down.