Royal Maundy Service

Wehwalt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Royal Maundy service takes place each year on the Thursday before Easter. The Royal Maundy service is an important event for the King as he is head of the Church of England.  

At the service the Monarch distributes specially-minted coins in red and white purses to people from across the country in recognition of their outstanding Christian service. The number of recipients is determined by the Monarch’s age. If the Monarch is 74, there there would be 74 men and 74 women. 

The red purse always contains a £5 and a fifty pence commemorative coin. The white purse contains a set of specially minted silver Maundy coins with equivalent value in pence to the Monarch’s age. (The coins are usually made up of 1p, 2p, 3p, & 4p coins.)

King Charles III's Reign (2022-Present)

The number of recipients and coins is based on the King’s age at Easter, not the age he is turning that year. 
                                                                      

Year	Charles	Camilla	Other	Location	Notes
2020's
2029	-	-	-	-	-
2028	-	-	-	-	-
2027	-	-	-	-	-
2026	-	-	-	-	-
2025	-	-	-	-	-
2024		X		Worcester Cathedral	King Charles was absent due to his cancer treatment
2023	x	x		York Minster	1st of Charles's Reign. York was likely chosen as the tradition of the Royal Maundy Service started in Yorkshire.

Queen Elizabeth II's Reign (1952-2022)

The Queen attended annually and was usually joined by Prince Philip before his retirement in 2017. The service in 1952 was the Queen first public engagement after her accession. In the early years of her reign, the Queen followed the tradition of past monarchs and held the service in London each year. The honor of hosting the Royal Maundy service would rotate between different London Churches.

Between 1957 & 1970, The Queen started alternating the Maundy Thursday service between Westminister Abbey & churches outside London. After 1970, The Queen decided to hold the service at Westminister Abbey once a decade to allow her to visit more of England. The Westminister Abbey service is always on the year ending in 1 as that is a milestone birthday year for the Queen. 

In 2017, The Queen completed her goal of attending the Royal Maundy service at all England's 40+ Anglican Cathedrals. Since then the service has been held at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the Queen holds her month-long Easter Court. Except for years ending in 1, when the service is held at Westminister Abbey. 

The number of recipients and coins was based on Queen Elizabeth’s age she was turning that year. Not necessarily her current age, as sometimes her birthday fell before Maundy Thursday. And sometimes after. 

Note: The Court Circular on Royal.UK only goes back to 1997. So, attendance before that may not be complete, especially for Prince Philip.

Year	Queen	Philip	Other	Notes
2020's
2022	x		Prince Charles Duchess Camilla	Held at St. George's Chapel, in Windsor.
2021	x			Canceled due to the Coronavirus. Was Scheduled to be held at Westminister Abbey in Windsor.
2020	x			Canceled due to the Coronavirus. Was Scheduled to be held at St. George's Chapel, in Windsor.
2010's
2019	x		Princess Eugenie	Held at St. George's Chapel, in Windsor.
2018	x			Held at St. George's Chapel, in Windsor. Prince Philip canceled due to hip problems.
2017	x	x		Held at Leicester Cathedral. Completed goal of attending Maundy Thursday service at all England's 40+ Anglican Cathedrals.
2016	x	x		Held at St. George's Chapel, in Windsor.
2015	x	x		Held at Sheffield Cathedral.
2014	x	x		Held at Blackburn Cathedral.
2013	x	x		Held at Christ Church Cathedral, in Oxford.
2012	x	x	Princess Beatrice	Held at York Minster, in York. Queen's Diamond Jubilee year.
2011	x	x		Held at Westminster Abbey, in London. Queen's 85th Birthday.
2010	x	x		Held at Derby Cathedral.  800th Royal Maundy Service
Year	Queen	Philip	Other	Notes
2000's
2009	x	x		Held at St. Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds.
2008	x	x		Held at St. Patrick's Cathedral, in Armagh. First time the service ever took place in Northern Ireland.
2007	x	x		Held at Manchester Cathedral.
2006	x	x		Held at Guildford Cathedral.
2005	x	x		Held at Wakefield Cathedral.
2004	x	x		Held at Liverpool Cathedral.
2003	x	x		Held at Gloucester Cathedral.
2002	x	x		Held at Canterbury Cathedral.
2001	x	x		Held at Westminster Abbey, in London.
2000	x	x		Held at Lincoln Cathedral.
1990's
1999	x	x		Held at Bristol Cathedral.
1998	x	x		Held at Portsmouth Cathedral.
1997	x	x		Held at Bradford Cathedral.
1996	x	x		Held at Norwich Cathedral.
1995	x	x		Held at Coventry Cathedral.
1994	x	x		Held at Truro Cathedral.
1993	x	x		Held at Wells Cathedral.
1992	x	x		Held at Chester Cathedral.
1991	x	x		Held at Westminster Abbey.
1990	x			Held at St Nicholas Cathedral, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Year	Queen	Philip	Other	Notes
1980's
1989	x	x		Held at St Philip's Cathedral, in Birmingham.
1988	x	x		Held at Lichfield Cathedral.
1987	x	x		Held at Ely Cathedral.
1986	x	x		Held at Chichester Cathedral.
1985	x	x		Held at Ripon Cathedral.
1984	x	x		Held at Southwell Minster.
1983	x	x		Held at Exeter Cathedral.
1982	x	x		Held at St. David's Cathedral, in Wales.
1981	x			Held at Westminster Abbey.
1980	x	x		Held at Worcester Cathedral.
1970's
1979	x	x		Held at Winchester Cathedral.
1978	x	x		Held at Carlisle Cathedral.
1977	x	x		Held at Westminster Abbey.
1976	x	x		Held at Hereford Cathedral.
1975	x			Held at Peterborough Cathedral.
1974	x	x		Held at Salisbury Cathedral.
1973	x	x		Held at Westminster Abbey.
1972	x			Held at York Minster.
1971	x			Held at Tewkesbury Abbey.
1970			Queen Mum	Held at Westminster Abbey, in London. Queen was in New Zealand on a Canada + South Pacific Tour.
Year	Queen	Philip	Other	Notes
1960's
1969	x	x		Held at Selby Abbey
1968	x	x	Prince Charles	Held at Westminster Abbey, in London.
1967	x			Held at Durham Cathedral.
1966	x	x		Held at Westminster Abbey, in London.
1965	x	x		Held at Canterbury Cathedral
1964			Princess Mary (Queen Elizabeth's aunt)	Held at Westminster Abbey, in London. Queen was absent due to Prince Edward's recent birth.
1963	x			Held at Chelmsford Cathedral.
1962	x	x	Prince Charles Princess Anne Princess Margaret Lord Snowdon	Held at Westminster Abbey, in London. (1962 was the 10th Anniversary of Queen Accession)
1961	x	x		Held at Rochester Cathedral.
1960			Queen Mum	Held at Westminster Abbey, in London. Queen was absent due to Prince Andrew's recent birth.
1950's
1959	x		Queen Mum Princess Margaret Princess Anne	Held at St. George's Chapel, in Windsor.
1958	x			Held at Westminster Abbey, in London.
1957	x	x		Held at St Albans Abbey, in Hertfordshire. First time Queen held the service outside London.
1956	x	x		Held at Westminster Abbey, in London.
1955	x			Held at Southwark Cathedral, in London.
1954			Princess Marie Louise (2nd cousin once removed)	Held at Westminster Abbey, in London. Queen on Commonwealth Tour.
1953	x	x		Held at St Paul's Cathedral, in London.
1952	x	x		Held at Westminster Abbey, in London. Queen's 1st public engagements since her accession.