IT has been a joyful day for York as the King and Queen Consort visited the city to attend the Royal Maundy service and formally open a brand new restaurant.
King Charles III, along with the Queen Consort, attended his first Royal Maundy service at York Minster today (April 6), distributing commemorative coins to 74 men and 74 women who have made a difference to their communities.
Charles arrived to cheers from hundreds of people who had lined the streets of the city waiting for the Royal arrival.
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 Maundy 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.
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. After the royal couple emerged - they spent 20 minutes in the sunshine talking to the crowd in a lengthy walkabout to meet the public. Observers said the King looked relaxed as he shook hands with those waiting to meet him.
Following the walkabout, the Royal couple made their way to the Refectory restaurant in the site of the former Minster School for the formal opening.
They toured the restaurant and its grounds - with the King unveiling a plaque celebrating the visit and the opening.
North Yorkshire Police confirmed that there were no arrests during the Royal visit - following the incident on the King's previous outing in York when eggs were thrown in his direction.
Silver Commander for the operation, Charlotte Bloxham from North Yorkshire Police, said: “As public servants and servants of the Crown, we at North Yorkshire Police have been extremely proud to host the King and Queen Consort on their latest visit to North Yorkshire.
“Officers and staff have put a tremendous amount of effort into the planning and preparation of this two-day visit to ensure that it has run smoothly.
“It’s also been a huge partnership effort to make the last two days successful and I would like to thank all the partners who we have worked with on the visit.
“I would also like to thank the residents, public and motorists in Malton and York for their patience during the visit.”
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