15 Apr 2025

Press release: Local children prepare to meet The King and Queen as they take on a central role in the historic Royal Maundy service at Durham Cathedral later this week

Four local children from County Durham are getting ready to play a key role in the upcoming Royal Maundy service at Durham Cathedral on Thursday, 17 April.

Royal Maundy takes place each year on the Thursday before Easter Day and is a special service in which The King expresses his gratitude for those who serve and volunteer in their communities by giving them Maundy Money.

By ancient tradition, four children accompany the monarch as he walks around the cathedral distributing the Maundy Money, each carrying a posy of flowers.

This year Euan Black and Indrakshi Chatterjee from Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation and Sam Parkinson and Eve Brown from Durham Johnston School have been invited to play these historic roles in the service and their parents have been invited to the service to witness this proud moment.

Euan Black, aged 11, who is in Year 6, feels he has been given a ‘great honour’. He continues,

“In the future I will never forget that on Maundy Thursday I will be personally introduced to The King and Queen in front of my parents. It will be a remarkable day although I will of course be nervous!”

Euan’s parents Duncan and Helen Black are ‘delighted’ that Euan has been given this opportunity and said,

“We are so proud of Euan, he is a kind and caring boy who works extremely hard at everything he does.”

During the service, 152 recipients, 76 men and 76 women (signifying the age of the Monarch), will be presented by The King, with specially-minted Maundy money to thank them for their outstanding Christian service and for making a difference to the lives of people in their local communities. The main duty for the Almonry children is to process behind His Majesty King Charles III during the distribution of the Maundy Money. The children will also wear their school uniform to represent their school community.

Ten year old Indrakshi Chatterjee who is the youngest of this year’s Children of the Royal Almonry said,

“I am really excited and grateful to be able to take part in this important service and looking forward to meet The King and Queen.”

Her mum Chetana said,

“We are very honoured that Indrakshi is taking part in this service and very grateful to her school to give her this opportunity. It is a matter of great pride to be able to meet The King and Queen and I am sure she will cherish this experience always.”

The service is rooted in the tradition of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet in the Upper Room the night before his death and goes back to medieval times. Each child will carry a posy of flowers and this was because in ancient times the monarch actually washed the feet of people at the service as a re-enactment of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet.

The flowers, or nosegays as they are known, would have covered any unpleasant odours from the feet the monarch was washing. This aspect of the service links directly back to medieval times.

Eve Brown, aged 12, who is part of the worshiping community at the cathedral said,

“I feel honoured to have been chosen to do this. I am excited for the service and to meet The King.”

Eve’s mum Hannah said,

“We are delighted for Eve to have this very special opportunity and experience. We are really looking forward to the upcoming service and seeing her play a part in such a historic occasion at Durham Cathedral.”

Sam Parkinson, aged 12, another young member of the cathedral's worshipping community says,

"I am very grateful to have the opportunity to take part in such an important service, and I am excited to meet The King and The Queen."

Sam's parents added,

‘We are delighted that Sam has the chance to be involved in such a wonderful occasion, and that he will have a part to play in assisting the King as he honours the outstanding Christian service of people in our communities.’

All four children will be part of the official Royal photograph for the occasion which will be taken at the North Door of the cathedral after the service.

The flowers the Children of the Royal Almonry will carry have been made by the Cathedral Flower Arranging Volunteers and Floral Designer and Flower Farmer Deborah Simpson Boston, the same team who are creating the wider floral displays decorating the church.

For more information about the Royal Maundy service at Durham Cathedral visit www.durhamcathedral.co.uk

Contact Information

Clare Knowles
Head of Marketing & Digital
Durham Cathedral
clare.knowles@durhamcathedral.co.uk

Notes to editors

Who is attending the Royal Maundy at Durham Cathedral on Thursday 17 April?

152 recipients of Maundy Money who have already received a letter from Buckingham Palace inviting them to attend together with one guest each.
People who are participating in the service.
Representatives of the Diocese of Durham, Durham Cathedral and civic personnel.

Can members of the public stand outside and see The King and Queen arrive?

Yes members of the public are free to attend the wider event. However, there will be (significant) restrictions to access and free movement in and around the City.

Are there other services I can attend during Holy Week and Easter?

You can find details of all Durham Cathedrals Holy Week and Easter services here.

Durham Cathedral is a Christian Church of the Anglican Communion, the shrine of St Cuthbert, the seat of the Bishop of Durham and a focus of pilgrimage and spirituality in North East England. It inhabits a treasured sacred space set in the natural and human landscape of the World Heritage Site.

Its purpose is to worship God, share the gospel of Jesus Christ, welcome all who come, celebrate and pass on its rich Christian heritage and discover its place in God’s creation.

The building of Durham Cathedral commenced in 1093 and took around 40 years to complete. It replaced a Saxon cathedral built by the Community of St Cuthbert after it arrived in Durham in 995 following its flight from the ‘Holy Island’ of Lindisfarne 80 miles North of Durham. The body of St Cuthbert is enshrined in the Feretory at Durham Cathedral and the Tomb of the Venerable Bede is in The Galilee Chapel. The Cathedral existed as a Benedictine Monastery until 1539 when it became one of the Church of England’s major Cathedrals.

It continues to be a focus for pilgrimage and pre-covid saw around 750,000 visitors each year from all over the world. The Cathedral has internationally important collections of artefacts, manuscripts and books that include St Cuthbert’s coffin and his pectoral cross; superb examples of English early medieval craftsmanship. Durham Cathedral is often referred to as the best example of Romanesque architecture in Europe, or as American writer Bill Bryson put it, ‘the best Cathedral on planet earth.’

Since its construction Durham Cathedral has been alive with people and a centre for community activity. The Cathedral is home to a vibrant worshipping community and continues to celebrate the English Choral Tradition with sung services by its highly acclaimed Choir. As the new century unfolds Durham Cathedral aspires to enrich the many different ways in which it engages with people and organisations. It is cherished equally by those who live, work and study in the region and by those who come to visit.

Find more information at www.durhamcathedral.co.uk