Durham Cathedral welcomes King and Queen for Royal Maundy Service
Invited guests will meet Charles and Camilla who will give out special coins
Last updated 1st May 2025
Durham is welcoming The King and Queen today as part of Maundy Thursday.
A service is being held at the Cathedral where Charles and Camilla will meet invited guests and hand out special coins to 152 people.
Dean of Durham Cathedral, The Very Reverend Dr. Philip Plyming, said: "We're absolutely thrilled that the King has chosen to come to Durham Cathedral. It takes place every year to celebrate wonderful acts of service across our community, and we're so thrilled that there are 152 people who are going to be receiving the Maundy money. It's going to be a really special thank you to them for their service in our local communities.
"It's a very personal and very individual service. At the heart of it are these 152 what I call 'ordinary heroes', people who have just been serving for decades in their local communities, often unseen, often in unglamous roles, and now they're gettnig recognition for it.
"We know he has a soft spot for Durham and it's a great boost for the region to have the King and Queen honouring us with their presence. I know the whole city is excited. Obviously the recipients are coming from all over the North East and beyond, so Durham's going to be the centre of things and I know we're going to look forward to giving him a really wonderful welcome with the Queen.
"The coins are specially minted for the occasion and they're put in special purses. They're very individual and they're a token of thanks to people who have been serving, working in churches, working in communities and so these are people who haven't received any recognition in other ways, they haven't got any medals, but this is the King saying thank you.
"It's one man and one woman for each year of the King's age so 76 - or 152 - will be receiving one and they can all bring somebody with them to support them, so that will be 300 people. There's going to be around 1,100 people in the Cathedral overall so it's going to be a wonderful celebration."
Details of measures to ensure safety
Durham County Council and Durham Police are working closely with the cathedral to support the visit and ensure residents, visitors and businesses are able to make the most of the historic occasion.
All roads leading into and out of the peninsula area of the city will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6am to 3pm on the day of the visit.
Spectators will be able to gather on Palace Green and in the Market Place to get the best views of Their Majesties as their motorcade passes, but significant restrictions will be in place to ensure the safety of the expected crowds.
Access to Palace Green will be limited overnight while safety measures, including pedestrian barriers, are put in place, with Windy Gap and Dun Cow Lane closed to all pedestrians.
The city is likely to be busy today, so anyone wishing to watch from Palace Green is encouraged to be in position by 9.30am.
Spectators will not be allowed to congregate on a narrow section of Saddler Street and Owengate and police, neighbourhood wardens and volunteers will be on hand to offer advice to the public on the best vantage points to safely view Their Majesties in the royal car.
Mark Jackson, Durham County Council’s head of transport and contract services, said: “The last Royal Maundy Service at Durham Cathedral took place almost 60 years ago, so this month’s visit by The King and Queen promises to be a really special occasion.
“We are, therefore, expecting a lot of people in the city on the day of the visit, so would encourage people to plan ahead and allow plenty of time in order to make the most of the day.”
Chief Inspector Stephanie Bird, of Durham Constabulary said: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to our wonderful city.
“Our officers will be on patrol throughout the event. It will be extremely busy so please plan your visit if you can. Please follow the directions and advice of our officers to help us keep everyone safe.
“We are assisting Durham Cathedral and our partners at Durham County Council to ensure everyone attending has an enjoyable day.”