The sun shone, the crowds cheered, there were no eggs and only a small protest.
It was a good day for York as the King returned with Queen Camilla as the monarch attended the first Royal Maundy service of his reign, in York Minster.
Charles arrived at the Minster with the Queen Consort to cheers from hundreds of people who had lined the streets of the city waiting for the royal arrival.
Photographs: Richard McDougall / Rachel Rogers / Owen Humphreys – PA / Charlotte Graham – Daily Telegraph
A small group of protesters dressed in yellow carried banners saying ‘Not My King’, which the royal party ignored.
With Camilla wearing a navy and white dress by Fiona Clare and a Philip Treacy hat, they were greeted at the Great West Doors of the Minster by the Dean of York, the Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.
The royal couple were presented with the traditional nosegay, a small flower bouquet, as they entered the cathedral and sat as the service got under way.
The King then moved around the minster presenting 74 men and 74 women with the Maundy money as the congregation of about 1,500 looked on.
The money is presented to thank the recipients for their outstanding Christian service and for making a difference to the lives of people in their local communities.
Charles presented each recipient with a red and a white purse, stopping to chat with many.
The white purse contained a set of specially-minted silver Maundy coins equivalent in value to the age of the King. The red purse contained two commemorative coins.
This year, one celebrates the King’s forthcoming 75th birthday and the other commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Windrush Generation.
The couple signed the visitors’ book before they left and posed for photographs on the Minster steps.
During the service, the numbers waiting in the sunshine around the cathedral swelled to thousands and, after the royal couple emerged, they spent 20 minutes in the sunshine talking to the crowd in a lengthy walkabout.
The King looked relaxed chatting to people and sharing a joke with some of the well-wishers.
With the Queen, he then went on to the York Minster Refectory. There, they met the team behind the cathedral’s new restaurant, which they officially opened.
Afterwards, they gave a final wave to the crowd from the royal limo as they were driven out of the city centre.
Maundy Thursday commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles, and is one of the most ancient ceremonies retained by the Church of England.
The first recorded royal distribution was at Knaresborough by King John in 1210, according to Buckingham Palace.
