The Cross of Wales had a poignant role at the King’s May 2023 crowning and Royal Maundy Service

King Charles and Queen Camilla leave the Royal Maundy Service at St Asaph Cathedral on April 2, 2026; The processional Cross of Wales during the Royal Maundy Service on April 2, 2026.Credit : Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty; Chris Jackson/Getty

The cross that led the procession at King Charles and Queen Camilla’s historic coronation service was back in action for a special royal event.

On April 2, the Cross of Wales led the King’s Procession at St. Asaph Cathedral in north Wales during the Royal Maundy Service. The Royal Maundy Service is held each year on the Thursday before Easter as a tradition in which the British sovereign distributes Maundy money, or special coins, to local pensioners, who are often retirees, in a tribute in homage to how Jesus washed the Apostles’ feet at the Last Supper.

The Cross of Wales led the procession in which the King, 77, and Queen, 78, walked into St. Asaph, bringing the sacred object back into the royal spotlight.

In May 2023, the Cross of Wales headed the procession at Westminster Abbey during King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation, where they were crowned almost eight months after his mother Queen Elizabeth’s death.

A member of the clergy carries the processional Cross of Wales during the Royal Maundy Service at St Asaph Cathedral on April 2, 2026.Chris Jackson/Getty

​The Cross of Wales was a gift from Charles to the Christians of Wales and has rich religious significance. It contains a relic of the True Cross, a coronation gift from the late Pope Francis to the King that is believed to be part of the cross Jesus was crucified on.

When he was the Prince of Wales, Charles had the Cross of Wales commissioned to celebrate the centenary of the Church in Wales in 2020. It was designed and made by master silversmith Michael Lloyd in coordination with the Royal Collection and comprised of recycled silver bullion, Welsh windfall timber and Welsh slate.

The back of the cross is etched in Welsh with words from the last sermon of St. David, the patron saint of Wales, translating to, “Be joyful. Keep the faith. Do the little things,” according to the Church of Wales.

Weeks before King Charles’ coronation, The Times reported that Pope Francis, then the leader of the Catholic Church, gave King Charles two splinters of wood believed to be from the True Cross as a personal gift in honor of the coronation. The fragments were then embedded into the Cross of Wales in the shape of a cross behind a rose crystal gemstone just in time for the King’s coronation day.

Archbishop Andrew John officiates at Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno, during the blessing of the Cross of Wales on April 19, 2023 in Llandudno, Wales.Christopher Furlong/Getty

“It’s hugely significant. It’s a remarkable thing that the King has been able to find favor with the Vatican, and as a result of that very good relationship, Pope Francis has agreed to gift these small fragments of the holy cross,” the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev. Andrew John, told The Times about the Pope’s present.

After helming the procession on the King’s May 6, 2023, coronation day, the Cross of Wales was officially received by the Church of Wales in January 2024. It then traveled around all the cathedrals of Wales in order for the people to see it and was then shared between the Anglican and Catholic churches of Wales.

King Charles has a special relationship with Wales as the former Prince of Wales, the traditional title for the male heir to the throne and one he bore for 64 years before becoming monarch. King Charles also became the head of the Church of England upon his accession, a significant position and one dovetailing with his lifelong passion for interfaith relations.

King Charles attends a Royal Maundy Service at St Asaph Cathedral, in north Wales on April 2, 2026.Chris Jackson / POOL / AFP via Getty

The King and Queen Camilla seemed to be in good spirits at the Royal Maundy Service on Thursday, celebrating at the event held in Wales for just the second time in the tradition’s history.

Their arrival at St. Asaph’s Cathedral was preceded by graffiti on a wall of the church that read “Not our King” in an anti-monarchy message.

Spray painted graffiti which says Not My King on the wall outside St Asaph Cathedral in North Wales on April 2, 2026.PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

A spokesperson for the North Wales Police confirmed to PEOPLE that the force is investigating the situation and the local council is in the process of removing the graffiti.

On Easter Sunday, April 5, King Charles is expected to lead the royal family as they celebrate an Easter church service at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.