The King and Queen celebrated the Royal Maundy Service in a meaningful place
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NEED TO KNOW
- King Charles and Queen Camilla attended the Royal Maundy Service on April 2, held in Wales for the first time since 1982
- The King distributed Maundy coins to 77 men and 77 women, matching his age, in recognition of their community service
- The Royal Maundy Service tradition dates back to 600 AD and was expanded by Queen Elizabeth to travel around the U.K.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are gearing up for Easter in a place that's especially meaningful for Prince William and Kate Middleton.
On April 2, the King, 77, and Queen, 78, attended the Royal Maundy Service at St. Asaph Cathedral in north Wales. The outing marked the first time the event has been held in Wales since 1982 and only the second time in the tradition's history.
Wales is a special place for William and Kate, who were named the Prince and Princess of Wales following King Charles' accession to the throne in September 2022. The Prince of Wales is the historic title for the male heir to the throne, with William and Kate paying many impactful visits to Wales since they took on the titles. The Prince of Wales title is also poignant for King Charles, who bore the Prince of Wales title for 64 years, until his accession.
Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty
The King and Queen Camilla played a festive role at the Royal Maundy Service, which commemorates the Christian holy day on the Thursday before Easter.
There, King Charles had the honor of presenting Royal Maundy gifts to approximately 77 men and 77 women from Wales and other dioceses across the U.K., recognizing their exemplary Christian service to their communities.
The "77" number matched the monarch's age, and recipients received two purses containing the "Maundy Money." The white purse held sets of specially minted silver Maundy coins totaling 77 pennies, reflecting his number of years, while the red purse contained a £5 coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's birth (later this month) and a 50p coin celebrating the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust, one of King Charles' charities.
Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty
The royal family's website outlines that the coins are all real legal tender, though it's popular to pocket them as a keepsake, with the ordinary coinage representing the sovereign's gift for food and clothing and the Maundy coins nodding to their age.
The church service featured specially commissioned music by Welsh composers and musicians in a celebration of a return of the Royal Maundy Service to Wales. The service also featured the processional Cross of Wales, a gift from King Charles to the Christians of Wales and cross that was used on his May 2023 coronation day. The Cross of Wales, which headed the procession for the King and Queen Camilla's crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey almost three years ago, contains a fragment of the True Cross, a gift from the King to Pope Francis and believed to be part of the cross Jesus was crucified on.
After the service wrapped, the King and Queen joined the Royal Maundy Party for the traditional group photo outside the West Door before taking time to meet members of the cathedral community.
The Royal Maundy Service is an ancient tradition tracing back to 600 AD, honoring how Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles at the last supper. The royal family's website explains that the number of coins the monarch distributes correlates to "the number of years they have lived" and King Charles has done the honors every year of his reign, with the exclusion of 2024, shortly after it was announced that he was undergoing treatment for cancer. (The King's treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer continues, and he shared the "good news" in December 2025 that his treatment would be reduced this year.)
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Queen Camilla made royal history as the first consort to helm the ceremony and distribute coins at Worcester Cathedral.
The King has continued his late mother Queen Elizabeth's tradition of holding the Royal Maundy Service is held at different cathedrals or abbeys around the U.K.
Early during her record reign, Queen Elizabeth decided that the Maundy money celebration should not be exclusive to the people of London and began a new tradition of bringing the festivities to various houses of worship across the country. She impressively hit the road to visit every cathedral in the U.K. during her reign, according to Royal.UK.
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