Investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales
The
Background
The title
After rising against the English, native Welshman
The investiture was preceded by a year-long promotional campaign called "Croeso '69" (Welcome '69) designed to raise the profile of Wales and promote tourism. The UK's Labour government had ambitions to modernise Britain, including Wales where old industries were being replaced by new businesses and technology.[6]
The
Ten days prior to the investiture, a documentary co-produced by the BBC and ITV called Royal Family was broadcast, showing the royals going about their everyday lives. It raised the royal family to the forefront of the public eye.[7]
Event
Charles was formally invested with the title Prince of Wales at a ceremony at Caernarfon Castle on 1 July 1969. The event was organised by a specially established Investiture Committee, chaired by the earl marshal, Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk.[1] With a growing national consciousness rising in Wales at the time, the investiture needed to celebrate both the pride in Wales and the current British monarchy.[8]
Charles's uncle
Prior to the investiture, Charles spent nine weeks at
For an hour prior to the arrival of the royal family, a procession of dignitaries and guests paraded through the town and entered the castle through the Water Gate, led by the king's heralds with a guard of honour of the
Members of the royal family arrived in a fleet of four cars, led by the
In front of the invited audience of 4,000 people inside the castle,[1] Charles came to the stage and knelt on a scarlet cushion. The secretary of state for Wales read the Letters Patent in Welsh as the Queen gave Charles a golden rod, a mantle, a sword, a girdle, the new coronet and a ring.[13] The prince then took an oath, announcing:
I, Charles, Prince of Wales, do become your liege man of life and limb and of earthly worship and faith and truth I will bear unto thee to live and die against all manner of folks.[13][14]
The prince kissed his mother on the cheek[7] before being led by the Queen to the balcony of the Queen's Gate to greet the crowds waiting outside the castle.[14] He later sat himself on a throne, between two further thrones occupied by the Queen to one side and his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, sitting to the other side.[7]
The ceremony was broadcast live on
Following the event, Charles spent four days touring Wales by car, helicopter and the royal yacht.[6] Leaving the royal yacht in Llandudno the day after the investiture (and rejoining the yacht at various points on the trip), the Prince visited Newtown, New Quay, St Davids, Gelli Aur, Llanelli, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil (Cyfarthfa Castle), Newport and Cardiff. He ended the tour with a presentation at the City Hall and a concert at the New Theatre.[17]
Opposition
The 1960s movement surrounding the investiture has historically been described as the "anti-investiture movement"[18]: 207 [19][20] and "anti-investiture sentiment".[21] The investiture occurred during a period of revival of the Welsh national consciousness with an outspoken section considering it as an English Prince being imposed upon Wales.[22]
The investiture faced fierce opposition from people who saw the Prince of Wales as symbolic of Wales's occupation by the English crown. Nationalist anti-English sentiment had been on the rise, particularly since 1957 when a Welsh valley was flooded to provide water for the English city of Liverpool.[9]
In November 1967, as the Earl of Snowdon visited Cardiff to discuss arrangements for the investiture, a bomb went off.[23]
Communities and institutions were divided on the issue of the investiture. These included the Urdd, Plaid Cymru, the Gorsedd and non-conformist denominations. Students in all of the University of Wales campuses held multiple sit-in protests and hunger strikes to show their opposition to the investiture. The FWA and Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru also added to the tension. Because of the tension and protests leading up to the investiture of July 1969, the UK government drafted many soldiers and detectives, as well as agents provocateurs, to ensure a smoothly running ceremony in Caernarfon.[24] Campaigning was led by Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (MAC, Movement for the Defence of Wales) and the Free Wales Army, with the situation described before the investiture as "something close to open warfare between the Government's police and young people of Wales".[25]
Welsh singer Dafydd Iwan voiced his opposition and protest against investing Charles as Prince of Wales and also wrote a song "Carlo" mocking Charles.[26] Iwan stated "[It is a] song to be taken lightly, ... like the Investiture itself, and every other vanity. The shame is that there was meaning and a serious purpose to [the role of] Prince of Wales once".[26] The 25-year-old Dafydd Iwan's song became a popular anthem at the time.[27]
The Welsh language youth festival, the
Tedi Millward, professor of Welsh at Aberystwyth University, became friendly with Charles in the lead-up to the investiture whilst teaching him some Welsh. He refused invitations to the investiture ceremony, as well as the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Charles himself said in 2019 "Every day I had to go down to the town where I went to these lectures, and most days there seemed to be a demonstration going on against me".[29]
The investiture of Charles as "Prince of Wales was controversial and also led to widespread protests in Wales. The group "Cofia 1282" ("Remember 1282", the death year of Llywelyn the Last) also held protests against the investiture.[30]
The Welsh Language society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith) also held a rally against the investiture on 29 August, 1969 at Cilmeri, the site of the death of Llywelyn the Last.[18]: 206
The day before the 1969 investiture, two members of MAC were killed when their home-made bomb exploded prematurely in Abergele, while they were planting it on a local government building.[9][31] There were false speculations that they had intended to blow up the royal train.[9]
Day of investiture
On the day of the investiture, a few nonviolent protesters were arrested. Some were escorted away carrying signs saying "Cymru nid Prydain" (Wales not Britain). Others booed and made obscene gestures at the royal carriages.[18]: 235 One protester threw an egg at the Queen’s carriage as it passed by.[32] Another threw a banana skin under the feet of the military escort as it processed by.[33]
On the day of the ceremony, a young man threw an egg at the Queen's carriage, and he was leapt upon by the surrounding crowd.[34] Helicopters flew overhead, drain covers in Caernarfon were sealed, and radio stations were surrounded by barbed wire, which meant a planned storming[clarification needed] of Caernarfon Castle was impossible.[25]
In popular culture
The Prince of Wales's investiture was recreated during
Guests
British royal family
- The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales's parents
- The Princess Anne, the Prince of Wales's sister
- Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the Prince of Wales's maternal grandmother
- The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and The Earl of Snowdon, the Prince of Wales's maternal aunt and uncle
- Viscount Linley, the Prince of Wales's first cousin
- Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, the Prince of Wales's first cousin
- The Duchess of Gloucester,[12] the Prince of Wales's maternal great-aunt by marriage
- Prince Richard of Gloucester,[12]the Prince of Wales's first cousin once removed
- The Prince George, Duke of Kent's family:
- The Duke and Duchess of Kent,[12] the Prince of Wales's first cousin once removed and his wife
- Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Mrs. Ogilvy and The Hon. Angus Ogilvy,[12] the Prince of Wales's first cousin once removed and her husband
- Prince Michael of Kent, the Prince of Wales's first cousin once removed
- The Earl Mountbatten of Burma,[12] the Prince of Wales's paternal great-uncle
Other royal guests
- Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg (representing the Grand Duke of Luxembourg)
Diplomats and politicians
- Hubert Humphrey, former Vice President of the United States and his wife, Muriel Humphrey
- Tricia Nixon, daughter of President of the United States Richard Nixon[35]
- Mary Wilson
- The Rt Hon. James Callaghan, Home Secretary of the United Kingdom[11]
See also
- 1969 Investiture Honours
- Investiture of the Prince of Wales
- Opposition to the Prince of Wales title
References
- ^ National Archives. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Prince of Wales". BBC Wales – History. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0300146653, retrieved 24 September 2022
- ^ a b "The Prince of Wales – Previous Princes of Wales". PrinceofWales.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-1908759238, retrieved 24 September 2022
- ^ a b c Evans, Neil (25 June 2009). "The investiture of the Prince of Wales". BBC Wales History. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ Washington Post. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ISBN 978-1134788293Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Westenfeld, Adrienne (24 November 2019). "The Crown Misses the Full Story of Political Turmoil During Prince Charles's Time in Wales". Esquire. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ Wales Online. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ a b c Peter Jones (2 July 1969). "Hour of colour set the mood...". Western Mail. (Wales). p. 5.
- ^ a b c d e f "Hum that grew as coach drew near". Western Mail. (Wales). 2 July 1969. p. 5.
- ^ a b Halleman, Caroline (8 November 2019). "A Look Back at Prince Charles's Investiture as the Prince of Wales, 50 Years Later". Town & Country. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Investiture Of The Prince Of Wales (1969)". YouTube. British Pathé. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ "Investiture of the Prince of Wales – i July 1969". BBC 100. BBC. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ "Traders say TV 'killed' crowds". Western Mail. (Wales). 2 July 1969. p. 5.
- ^ Major Francis Jones (1 July 1969). "The Prince's Route Through Wales – Hills and the vales ready for welcome". Western Mail [Investiture Souvenir Guide]. (Wales). p. 13.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7083-2000-6.
- ISBN 978-0-571-29566-1.
- ISBN 978-0-85772-834-0.
- ^ Deacon, Thomas (24 February 2019). "Prince Charles, the investiture and bombs: How nationalists tried to stop it". WalesOnline. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ^ "Should there be a Prince of Wales investiture in 21st century Wales?". ITV News. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- New York Times. 18 November 1967. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ "How opposing Charles' investiture restored the national movement's self-respect". Nation.Cymru. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b Deacon, Thomas (24 February 2019). "Prince Charles, the investiture and the bombs: How Welsh nationalists tried to stop it". Wales Online. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ ISSN 1938-7687.
- ^ "Prince Charles meets investiture protestor Dafydd Iwan". BBC News. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ "Protesting the Prince". Cambrian News. 1 June 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ Whiting, Amanda (20 November 2019). "Prince Charles' Wales Investiture Was As Controversial As 'The Crown' Shows". Bustle.
- ^ "50 years since the Investiture". National Library of Wales Blog. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ Crump, Eryl (1 July 2019). "The bizarre plots to stop Prince Charles' investiture using 'kamikaze dogs' and manure". Daily Post. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- OCLC 35961550.
- ^ Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald (July 11th, 4 ed.). 1969.
- ^ "Investiture of Charles Marred by Bomb Blasts". The Pittsburgh Press. 1 July 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Crowds fall for Tricia". Western Mail. 2 July 1969. p. 4. "Pretty Tricia Nixon, the 23-year-old daughter of President Richard Nixon, won the hearts of Welsh people yesterday when she arrived for the investiture. Although many people outside Caernarvon station did not recognise the small blonde in the white hat and white-and-green coat she stole the limelight on the station platform from even the Prime Minister, Mr Harold Wilson, who travelled on the same train..."