Princess Elizabeth was invested as Honorary Ovate of the Gorsedd of the Bards of Wales by by the Archdruid Crwys Williams at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.
Close-up photograph of the investiture ceremony at Mountain Ash, Glamorgan. Princess Elizabeth, dressed up as a druid and is led up to the Arch Druid by her Sponsor. Other druids and onlookers beyond.
The Gorsedd is a society of Welsh-language poets, writers, musicians and others who have contributed to the Welsh language and to public life in Wales and the Eisteddfod is a festival with ranked competitions of Welsh poetry and music.
This dark green Grecian style robe of fine silk worn in 1946 at the age of 20, when Princess Elizabeth was initiated into the Mystic Circle (Gorsedd) of Bards by Archdruid Crwys Williams, as an honorary Bard at the National Eisteddfod held in Mountain Ash, Glamorgan, Wales.
The robe and headdress are currently on display in the ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ Exhibition in the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.
Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Vladimir Tiara
Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara
Belgian Sapphire Tiara
Burmese Ruby Tiara
Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara
Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara
Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara
Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara
Plunket Tiara
Five Aquamarine Tiara
Imperial State Crown
George IV State Diadem
Coronation Necklace and Earrings
The Cambridge Emerald Parure
Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace
King George VI Sapphire Suite
Queen’s Three-Strand Pearl Necklace
King George VI Festoon Necklace
Queen’s South African Diamonds
Queen’s City of London Fringe Necklace
Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace
Greville Ruby Necklace
Queen’s Japanese Pearl Choker
Kent Amethyst Parure
Queen’s Emerald Tassel Suite
Empress Maria Feodorovna’s Sapphire Choker
Greville Emerald Necklace
Queen’s Dubai Sapphire Suite
King Khalid Diamond Necklace
Pakistani Turquoise Necklace
Queen’s Jordanian Turquoise Suite
Andamooka Opal Necklace
The Queen’s Sapphires
Earrings
Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings
Duchess of Gloucester’s Pendant Earrings
Queen Victoria’s Pearl Earrings
Queen’s Bahrain Pearl Earrings
Antique Diamond Earrings
Queen’s Pear-Drop Diamond Earrings
Queen’s Silver Jubilee Earrings
Brooches
The Cullinan Diamond
Queen Victoria’s Bow Brooches
Queen’s Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch
Duchess of Cambridge’s Pearl Pendant Brooch
Queen Mary’s Diamond Stomacher
Prince Albert’s Sapphire Brooch
Queen Victoria’s 11 Pearl Brooch
Queen Adelaide’s Diamond Brooch
Queen Mary’s Diamond Thistle Brooch
Queen Victoria’s Fringe Brooch
Queen Mary’s Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Princess (now Queen) Elizabeth was initiated into the Mystic Circle of Bards by the Archdruid Crwys Williams at the National Eisteddfod of Wales at Mountain Ash, Glamorgan on this day in 1946. The Gorsedd is a society of Welsh-language poets, writers, musicians and others who have contributed to the Welsh language and to public life in Wales and the Eisteddfod is a festival with ranked competitions of Welsh poetry and music. Her parents, were initiated into the fraternity of the Gorsedd of the Bards exactly 20 years earlier.
The Death of Queen Elizabeth II
This is so very cool! I’m sorry that this probably no longer takes place, at least not for the royals. I certainly have not heard of Prince Charles being initiated in the same manner. More’s the pity, since as the Prince of Wales, this could have been one of the rites of passage in which he would take part. From the film, it looks like everyone was having a great time in a convivial atmosphere. And that’s probably another thing that couldn’t happen today, for security reasons.