The Emperor and his parents this afternoon saw a fragment of the wooden cross on which Christ was crucified.

Jonathan I, Emperor Mother Margaret and Emperor Father Terry met in Knightsbridge to walk the short distance to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, where part of the Cross was being brought.

The relic, usually kept in Jerusalem, is currently on a “tour” of the United Kingdom.

The Emperor and his parents arrived at the start of an hour and a half long service, during which the piece of the Cross arrived and was placed on a stand in the middle of the church while hymns and psalms were sung and prayers were chanted. After the service, members of the congregation went up to venerate the relic, which is encased in an icon of silver and gold.

The Cross was re-discovered by St Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine I, in the fourth century as she explored the Holy Land with imperial backing. The Cross was divided into several pieces, many of which have been lost, and some of which have been subsequently broken up into tiny fragments. The relic encountered today is one of the largest surviving pieces, having mostly remained at Jerusalem since its discovery.

Jonathan I has been an Orthodox Christian since 2011, but this was the first time that his father has been to an Orthodox service, while the Emperor Mother has previously been to two.