King Charles, accompanied by Queen Camilla, distributed Royal Maundy gifts at the annual service, as it was held in Wales for only the second time. Graffiti saying 'Not Our King' had been left outside St Asaph Cathedral before King Charles's arrival. The message was sprayed in red paint on a wall outside St Asaph Cathedral. Before their arrival, workers in hi-vis jackets were seen attempting to remove the paint and covering it with tarpaulin. It is not known who was responsible for the graffiti, nor the exact time it was discovered and covered up.
The Royal Maundy service is being held at St Asaph Cathedral in Wales later this morning for only the second time in its history. This year's service is the first held in Wales since 1982. The Maundy Service is held each year on the Thursday before Easter Sunday. 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. 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 Queen Elizabeth II's reign, she visited every cathedral in the UK to present Maundy Money to local people. King Charles's first Maundy Service as Monarch took place at York Minster in 2023.
At the service, King Charles 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. The ceremony recognises people who have shown outstanding Christian service and made a difference to the lives of people in their communities. King 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. 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.
The service will feature specially commissioned music by Welsh composers and musicians to mark the occasion. The service will mark King Charles's first meeting with The Most Reverend Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales.
At the end of the service, King Charles and Queen Camilla will join the Royal Maundy Party for a photograph outside the cathedral’s West Door before meeting members of the cathedral community. A young girl shied away from shaking King Charles's hand as the monarch greeted well-wishers after the Royal Maundy Service at St Asaph Cathedral in Denbighshire, north Wales, on Thursday (2 April). Supporters with Union flags and Welsh flags lined the street outside the cathedral to greet the royals. The specific reaction from King Charles or Queen Camilla to the graffiti incident has not been disclosed, and it is unknown what prompted the girl's hesitation.
On Sunday, the King, the Queen and other members of the family are set to attend the Easter Matins church service. It remains unclear whether any arrests or investigations related to the graffiti have been initiated.