King Charles and Queen Camilla Mark Royal Easter Tradition for the First Time of New Reign

King Charles and Queen Camilla previously filled in for Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Maundy Service last year, but this time, Charles distributed coins in connection with his age

King Charles and Queen Camilla are kicking off the Easter weekend by continuing royal tradition.

On Thursday morning, the King and Queen Consort attended the Royal Maundy Service at York Minster. The service was the first of the new reign following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September. Held on the Thursday before Easter each year, Queen Elizabeth would distribute special coins known as "Maundy money" to recognize those over age 70 for outstanding Christian service to their communities.

King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 75, were welcomed into the cathedral by the Dean of York and Archbishop of York. Inside, the Queen Consort accepted a traditional nosegay bouquet and processed with King Charles up the nave as the service began.

In a nod to his age, King Charles presented 74 men and 74 women with Maundy money to thank them for their community contributions. The recipients are selected from various Church of England dioceses across the country, plus Anglican and Ecumenical partners across the U.K.

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Following tradition, beneficiaries received two purses. The white purse is filled with specially minted coins equivalent to King Charles' age of 74, while the red contains two commemorative coins, a tribute to the monarch's traditional gift of food and clothing. This year's commemorative coins mark King Charles' 75th birthday in November and the 75th anniversary of the Windrush Generation.

According to the Royal Family, the first recorded royal distribution dates back to King John in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire in the year 1210. Royal Maundy continues today as one of the Church of England's most ancient ceremonies.

The Royal Maundy Service came to a close with the national anthem and a blessing from the Dean of York. King Charles and Queen Camilla posed for a photo with the Royal Maundy party and moved to a private reception at York Minster Refectory.

The outing also came on an exciting day: exactly one month before King Charles and Queen Camilla will be crowned at Westminster Abbey at the May 6 coronation.

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Though this year's Royal Maundy Service marked Charles and Camilla's first as King and Queen Consort, they filled in for Queen Elizabeth last year at the same event. There, then-Prince Charles did the honors of distributing the Maundy money. It was his first time filling in for Queen Elizabeth at the event and Camilla's first time attending. Charles previously attended the event in 1962 to mark 10th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's accession and again in 1968.

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Though Queen Elizabeth continued to undertake light duties and hold virtual audiences from Windsor Castle last year, her public outings became increasingly rare amid a number of health setbacks.

She attended her last Royal Maundy Service in 2019 at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle with granddaughter Princess Eugenie, distributing 93 coins for her 93 years.

The Queen first attended Royal Maundy as Princess Elizabeth in 1935. Early in her reign, she decided that Maundy money should not just be distributed to the people of London, and started a new tradition of traveling to various cathedrals or abbeys to share the celebration.

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