King Charles 2026 Easter celebrations are not off to a great start.
The King was met with a glaring anti-monarchy message outside the Welsh church where he and Queen Camilla went to attend the Royal Maundy Service.
King Charles is no stranger to public antagonism. He has been heckled and booed by protesters over the years in London, Australia, York, and Milton Keynes since his ascension to the throne. Notably, while he was still the Prince of Wales, eggs were thrown at him by protesters during a visit to Canada.
Is King Charles Suffering Fallout From His Brother’s Epstein Links?
To attend the Royal Maundy Service at St. Asaph Cathedral in north Wales this year, King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived to meet a sight for sore eyes. The walls outside the church were desecrated with an anti-monarchy message before their arrival. The words “Not our King” were boldly written in red ink across one of the walls of the ancient cathedral.
King Charles arrived to lead a royal Easter tradition with his Queen for the second time ever in Wales. The local council quickly got to work trying to remove the graffiti and later covered it with a tarpaulin while investigations into the culprits are ongoing. The words splashed in red spray are a popular slogan of the anti-monarchy group Republic, which staged a demonstration outside the Royal Maundy Service on Thursday.
The Republic is yet to take responsibility for defacing the cathedral walls, nor have they been officially charged for the demonstration. PEOPLE shared that Republic CEO Graham Smith explained why activists were protesting in North Wales. In a released statement, Smith stated that the public wants answers, saying “Charles shouldn’t be able to avoid questions about his complicity in the Andrew scandal,” in reference to the ex-Prince Andrew’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Royal Maundy Service Is A Centuries-Long Tradition
While this is only the second time in history that the service has been held in Wales, it has been a long-standing tradition of the Royal family. The service dates far back to 600AD and just like the late Queen Elizabeth upheld the tradition, King Charles is following suit.
The first time the Royal Maundy Service, which commemorates the Maundy Thursday Christian holy day on the Thursday before Easter, was held in Wales was in 1982. Queen Elisabeth during her reign ensured that the event was held at different cathedrals and abbeys around the United Kingdom. Part of the Service involves the sovereign distributing special coins, also known as Maundy money, to local pensioners and retirees.
This act is to symbolize Jesus washing the Apostles’ feet at the Last Supper. The late Queen’s line of reasoning followed that the Maundy money should not be exclusively distributed to the people of London. Hence, the event should be held at different worship grounds across the U.K.
The ‘Not My King’ Chants Made Headlines A Few Years Back
Not only do the words demonstrate a revolt against the monarchy, but they are also against colonialism. In 2024, an Aboriginal Australian senator, Lidia Thorpe, raised her voice, chanting, “not my King” and “this is not your land” after King Charles delivered a speech at Parliament. Her words raised the world’s eyebrows, creating an eye-opener to a country that is still grappling with its colonial past.
According to reports by BBC News, Indigenous Australians are classed as the oldest living culture on earth, and have inhabited the continent for at least 65,000 years. Over the years, they have faced disadvantages in terms of resources, health, theft of their lands, and a long history of colonial violence.
Thrope’s cry, although not fully applauded, was a wake-up call. Prof Tom Calma, a Kungarakan and Iwaidja man who was present at the House of Parliament, explained that the way Senator Thrope moved to protest was misplaced and would not foster reconciliation or allies. Ultimately, her beckoning cries were heard by all and sundry, igniting debates all around.
Inside Early Demonstration Against The King
In 2009, while still performing in office as the Prince of Wales, Charles was heckled by a group of anti-monarchy Quebec nationalists during his visit to Canada. The then-Prince and former Duchess of Cornwall were met with the protesters outside the regimental hall of the Black Watch of Canada in Montreal. The protesters reportedly staged a sit-in protest outside the hall, blocking the streets in large numbers.
The Guardian shared in a release at the time that there were more than 100 protesters present, and before Charles could get into the hall, police spent about forty minutes clearing the streets. Some of the demonstrators threw eggs at the soldiers leaving the regimental hall as they chanted “Majesty go home” and the independence call “The Quebecois in Quebec.”
They waved the provincial flag of Quebec along with anti-royal placards as they gave their voices in unison for the movement. The demonstrators collided with officers’ batons and shields after a Canadian riot unit was called to force the protesters out of the way. Eventually, the then-Prince and Duchess were able to enter the regimental hall.
King Charles’ Fractured Relationship With Prince Harry
King Charles’ relationship with his son, Harry, has gone south since he stepped away from his royal duties with his wife, Meghan Markle, and shortly relocated to the United States. Since they departed from the U.K., King Charles has only seen his son twice, each time lasting approximately an hour.
Harry and Meghan’s kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, have spent their years away from the monarchy, the traditions of the royal house, and their cousins. There are whispers that until Harry reconciles with his brother, Prince William, his children may have no official position in the Royal household.
The Blast reported that King Charles holds a sense of “low trust and [memories of] bitter experience” towards his younger son and, as such, is hesitant to invite Prince Harry and his family to the U.K. for the summer holidays. Harry, however, has shown signs of his desire to reconcile with his father and rebuild their relationship. He also wants Archie and Lilibet to have the opportunity to see and spend time with their grandfather.
Will King Charles’ days on the throne be faced with any more heckles?