King Charles I, who some members of the Church of England regard as a martyr, was beheaded on 30 January 1649, on which day he is commemorated in London, and by some churches elsewhere.

In 2025 a service in ‘Commemoration of the Martyrdom of King Charles I in 1649’, was held at 11 a.m. beside the equestrian statue of the King at the north end of Whitehall, just south of Trafalgar Square.  About 30 people were present, and wreaths were laid on behalf of The Royal Stuart Society, The Order of the Crown of Stuart, and The Memorial of Merit of King Charles the Martyr; a wreath from The King’s Army of the Civil War Society was already attached to the statue’s plinth.

This is usually followed at 12 noon by a service, organised by the Society of King Charles the Martyr, at the Banqueting Hall, the site of Charles’ execution, but due to restoration work taking place in 2025 the service was moved to All Saints [Anglo-Catholic] Church, Margaret Street.  This attracted a large, predominately male, congregation, most of which took advantage of the opportunity to venerate the primary relic of the Martyr.

Two floral tributes, one apparently from the King’s Army of the Civil War Society, and the other by a member of the public were placed on the railings of the Banqueting House.