Graffiti proclaiming "Not our King" has been swiftly covered up at St Asaph Cathedral in North Wales, just hours before King Charles is due to attend an Easter service there.
The message, sprayed in red paint, appeared on a wall within the cathedral grounds, where the Royal Maundy service is being hosted in Wales for only the second time in its long history.
Workers in high-vis jackets were seen cleaning up the paint on Thursday morning, ahead of the King’s arrival later in the day.
Queen Camilla will also attend the service.
During the ceremony, the King will present Maundy money to 77 men and 77 women from across Wales and other UK dioceses, in recognition of their outstanding Christian service and contributions to their local communities.
The Royal Maundy service, which commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, has a tradition of distributing alms.
The first recorded instance of the ceremony dates back to 1210, under King John.
Charles will give recipients two purses. A white purse contains a set of specially minted silver Maundy coins totalling 77 pennies, to match the King’s age.
A red purse contains a £5 coin marking 100 years since the late Queen Elizabeth’s birth, and a 50p coin celebrating the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust charity.
The King is traditionally assisted in distributing the Maundy Money by the Lord High Almoner, currently the Bishop of Norwich, the Right Rev Graham Usher.
This year’s service is the first held in Wales since 1982 and will feature specially commissioned music by Welsh composers and musicians to mark the occasion.
What to know about Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday falls on the fifth day of Holy Week.
The day is also recognised by names including Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday and Thursday of Mysteries.
It is followed by Good Friday (3 April), Holy Saturday (4 April) and Easter Day (5 April), otherwise known as Easter Sunday.
On Maundy Thursday, Christians commemorate the day on which Jesus Christ shared the Last Supper with his 12 apostles, prior to his crucifixion.
Jesus is believed to have washed the disciples' feet before the meal in order to demonstrate the importance of serving others.
The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum”, meaning “command”.
According to Christian scripture, Jesus told his followers: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
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