King Charles is due to attend the traditional Maundy Thursday service at St Asaph Cathedral in North Wales later, where graffiti saying ‘Not Our King’ had been left outside before his arrival
King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived for the traditional Royal Maundy Easter service – hours after workers were forced to cover up graffiti saying ‘Not Our King’ left outside a cathedral.
The message, sprayed in red paint, was daubed on a wall outside St Asaph Cathedral where the Royal Maundy service is being held in Wales later this morning for only the second time in its history.
This morning, both Charles and Camilla, dressed in a navy coat and hat, arrived at the cathedral, where the King will present gifts to 77 men and 77 women from Wales and other dioceses across the UK in recognition of outstanding Christian service and for helping people in their communities.
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As they arrived they waved to those waiting to catch a glimpse of them. A small number of protesters from anti-monarchy group Republic were also seen outside the cathedral with a bright yellow banner, which read: “Abolish the monarchy”. Before the royal arrival, workers in hi-vis jackets were seen attempting to remove the graffiti spray paint and covering it with tarpaulin.
The first recorded Royal Maundy service was held in 1210 by King John and commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, with the distribution of alms becoming a tradition.
Today, Charles will give recipients two purses — a white purse including a set of specially minted silver Maundy coins totalling 77 pennies, to match the King’s age, and a red purse containing a £5 coin marking 100 years since the late Queen’s birth and a 50p coin celebrating the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust charity.
The King is traditionally assisted in distributing the Maundy Money by the Lord High Almoner, currently the Bishop of Norwich, the Right Rev Graham Usher.
This year’s service is the first held in Wales since 1982 and will feature specially commissioned music by Welsh composers and musicians to mark the occasion.
It will also mark the King’s first meeting with The Most Reverend Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales. The Processional Cross of Wales — a gift from The King to the Christians of Wales containing a fragment of the True Cross — will be used during the service, having previously led the Coronation Procession in 2023.
At the end of the service, Charles and Camilla will join the Royal Maundy Party for a photograph outside the cathedral’s West Door before meeting members of the cathedral community.
The Maundy Service is held each year on the Thursday before Easter Sunday. The King’s first Maundy Service as Monarch took place at York Minster in 2023.
Queen Elizabeth II introduced the tradition of taking the Maundy Service around the country, rather than limiting the distribution of Maundy Money to London. Throughout Her Majesty’s reign, she visited every cathedral in the UK to present Maundy Money to local people.
The service comes as on Sunday, the King, the Queen and other members of the family are set to attend the Easter Matins church service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, as they traditionally do each year. Among those expected to attend are the Prince and Princess of Wales.
However, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will not join the royal family for the Easter church service this Sunday.
With the agreement of the King, Beatrice and Eugenie have made alternative plans and will miss the traditional royal gathering at Windsor Castle.
