NORTH Wales is set to mark a historic occasion next week when King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the Royal Maundy Service at St Asaph Cathedral.
Ahead of the landmark event, BBC Radio Wales’s All Things Considered will explore the history of the service and the preparations involved in bringing it to life.
The programme, airing this morning (Sunday, March 29) at 9am, will highlight the many creative preparations behind the event, featuring florist Kate Jordan of Tremeirchion, who runs The Craft Shed Flowers, and the King’s Harpist, Mared Emyr Pugh-Evans.
Listen to the programme here at 9am (March 29).
The programme on BBC Radio Wales will also be available here shortly after broadcast.
The service on Thursday, April 2 will mark the first time the ancient ceremony has taken place in North Wales, and only the second time in Wales in its 800‑year history.
A description into All Things Considered - Behind the Royal Maundy Service, said: "In the In the lead‑up to this year's Royal Maundy Service at St Asaph Cathedral, [presenter] Jonathan Thomas considers what it takes to bring such a significant Christian ceremony to life. This year also marks the first time in history that the service will take place in North Wales.
"Ahead of Easter, King Charles III will arrive to distribute specially minted Maundy coins, given to 77 men and 77 women in recognition of their dedicated service to their communities. The number of recipients reflects the age of the monarch, a tradition that has endured for centuries.
"In this programme, Jonathan finds out about the long and remarkable history of the Royal Maundy Service with the Lord High Almoner, the Right Reverend Graham Usher, and the Bishop of St Asaph, the Right Reverend Gregory Cameron."
Jonathan will also speak with two of this year's Maundy money recipients - Joan Winwood and Michael Vellacott.
His Majesty will present recipients with two purses containing the unique Maundy Money. In the white purse will be a set of specially minted silver Maundy coins totalling 77 pennies, to match The King’s age, and in the Red Purse will be a £5 coin commemorating 100 years since Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, and a 50p coin that celebrates the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust.
The Royal Maundy
Maundy Thursday is the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles, and the distribution of alms and the washing of the feet on the Thursday of Holy Week are an ancient tradition.
The Royal Maundy can be traced back in England to the 13th century, with the first recorded Royal Distribution at Knaresborough, North Yorkshire by King John in 1210. From the 15th century, the number of recipients has been related to the years of the Sovereign’s life.
The Royal Maundy Recipients are selected from Church of England dioceses, and Anglican and Ecumenical partners across the UK. This year, the Recipients have largely been chosen from six diocese in Wales (Swansea & Brecon, St Asaph, Bangor, St Davids, Llandaff and Monmouth) alongside four English dioceses that are close, or border with, Wales (Chester, Hereford, Lichfield, Sodor & Man).
Each year the Monarch is assisted in distributing the Maundy Money by the Lord High Almoner, currently the Bishop of Norwich.
What will happen at the service
The service this year will feature specially commissioned music by Welsh composers and musicians, celebrating the return of the Royal Maundy to Wales. In addition, the service will see the use of the processional Cross of Wales, a gift from His Majesty The King to the Christians of Wales.
The Cross, which, headed the Procession at Westminster Abbey for his Coronation in 2023, contains a fragment of the True Cross, a gift to The King from His Holiness Pope Francis and believed to be part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified.
The Dean of St Asaph Cathedral, the Very Revd Nigel Williams, said: “We are deeply honoured to be hosting this Maundy Service. The Cathedral staff, volunteers and congregation are working hard to ensure the occasion is a memorable experience for all the recipients and guests.
"We look forward to welcoming Their Majesties The King and Queen, to the city, for this truly special service.”
About St Asaph Cathedral
Llanelwy - the Welsh name for St Asaph - means the sacred religious enclosure on the banks of the River Elwy. Worship is at the heart of the life and work of this ancient cathedral where prayers have been offered daily for 1,450 years.
St Asaph Cathedral is the UK’s smallest ancient Cathedral. The current building dates from the 14th century and was instrumental in the preservation of the Welsh language. It displays an original copy of the William Morgan Bible, which dates from 1588. William Morgan went on to become Bishop of St Asaph in 1601.
St Asaph Cathedral, one of the main heritage attractions in North Wales, receives thousands of visitors each year for regular services, as well as events, conferences, concerts and festivals.
St Asaph Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of St Asaph, one of the six Bishops of the Church in Wales, an autonomous Province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
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