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King Charles and Queen Camilla celebrated Maundy Thursday this morning at St. Asaph Cathedral, the UK’s smallest ancient cathedral.
It is the first time the service—held each year on the Thursday before Easter Sunday—is in North Wales since its inception 800 years ago; Queen Elizabeth began the tradition of taking the Maundy service around the country to different churches every year. It has only been in Wales once before, in St Davids in 1982.
The first royal Maundy service was held in 1210, per the BBC, by King John. While historically, monarchs washed feet of selected individuals, today, the King presents specially minted coins to recipients. Today, the King handed out Maundy money to 77 men and 77 women, in reflection of his age.
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The royal couple arriving for the service.
A key part of the the tradition are red and white Maundy purses; this year, the white purse has Maundy coins equivalent to King Charles’s age, while the red purse contains a £5 coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s birth. In addition, for this year’s service, Ettinger, a British leather goods company that holds a Royal Warrant, crafted the purses.
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King Charles meets well-wishers following a Royal Maundy Service
Ahead of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s arrival this morning, there was spray painted graffiti which on the wall outside St Asaph Cathedral, which workers rushed to clean ahead of the service. Per the Times, “Workers in high-vis jackets were seen attempting to remove the paint.”
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A view of the graffiti.
Across from the church during the service, “Not My King” protestors were visible with large banners and signs.
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Protestors visible on Maundy Thursday.
Republic, the anti-Monarchy group that organized the protest, noted on their website that they were protesting to keep the issue of King Charles’s younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February, central. (He has always denied wrongdoing.) “We can’t let the royals dodge accountability,” Republic wrote. “We’ll follow them everywhere, making sure that question is repeated time and time again.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.