It is an unfortunate truth that the picturesque Maundy Thursday service celebrated today in Durham, in which the King distributes Maundy money to deserving individuals, is a watered down version of the original. It started out in abbeys and churches when clerics would wash each others’ feet in imitation of Christ washing the feet of the Apostles before the Last Supper. Bad King John adopted the tradition in 1210 by washing the feet of poor men and it was maintained by monarchs until about the Glorious Revolution of 1688 – James II was the last to do it properly – until it was finally replaced with the hygienic but not very moving ceremony of distributing money by George II.
If the King, who is terrifically keen on tradition, really wants to set a good example, then he will return to the custom of washing poor men’s feet, like the Pope still does. The catch is that the number of pairs of feet is meant to correspond with the monarch’s years, which would mean Charles getting down on his knees with a bowl of water before no fewer than 76 paupers.
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