Investiture of the Prince of Wales, 1969

Later today, the Royal Family will attend a Reception hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Investiture of the Prince of Wales in July, the first of a series of commemorative events to celebrate the longest serving Prince of Wales in history. To mark the event (and also because we have a couple of other articles planned for July 1st), we are taking a look at the Investiture of the Prince of Wales-

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Prince Charles, led by the regalia bearers, entered Caernarfon Castle through the Chamberlain Tower, making his way towards the stage, where he knelt before the three thrones. During the reading of the Letters Patent stating that “Charles Philip Arthur George would receive the title, style, honour and privilege of the Principality of Wales and Earldom of Chester” in Welsh, the Queen invested the Prince with the girdle, sword, coronet, ring, golden rod and kingly mantle, after which he declared:

I, Charles, Prince of Wales, do become your liege man of life and limb and of earthly worship, and faith and truth I bear unto you, to live and die against all manner of folks.”

The new Prince of Wales then customarily kissed the his mother’s cheek, and then took his place in the throne at the Queen’s right, before giving two speeches, one in Welsh and one in English.

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After a brief service, the Queen led the new Prince of Wales to the Queen Eleanor’s Gate, to receive the homage of the people of Wales, before the Queen, Duke, Prince of Wales and Princess Royal embarked on a carriage ride through the streets of Caernarfon. The Prince gave an interview (video down below), which was aired that evening.

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Only the main members of the Royal Family were in attendance, including the Queen Mother (wearing her Prince of Wales Feathers Brooch), Princess Royal, Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon. While Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were not present, other children, including Lord Linley and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones were in attendance. Foreign Guests included Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg and Tricia Nixon.

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The Prince of Wales wore Uniform with the Sash, Star and Collar of the Order of the Garter. The Coronet was specially created, designed by Louis Osman and made by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, under a committee chaired by Lord Snowdon, it was made as a replacement for the previous Coronet of the Prince of Wales, which was, illegally, taken by the Duke of Windsor into exile and not returned until 1972. The Queen’s Tudor-style headgear drew a bit of controversy as well, since people thought it too informal for the grand ceremony, and would have preferred her to wear her Crown or a Tiara.

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