Having become Prince of Wales following his father, the day after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, William did not, however – like Charles III in 1969 – have a major investiture ceremony in the heart of the country of Wales with the peers of the kingdom and every camera in the kingdom trained on him. Here’s why.
This July 1, 2024 marks the 55th anniversary of a very special event: that of the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales. Remember this summer day in 1969, in a great spectacle orchestrated by his uncle Lord Snowdon in the heart of Wales, in Caernarvon Castle, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II was very officially recognized as her heir and therefore future king. Memorable moment of this ceremony full of hoopla, the moment when the current monarch promised his dear mother to succeed her in every way. Pronouncing in a solemn voice his oath of allegiance to the Queen: “I Charles, Prince of Wales, proclaim myself your liege man in soul and body, and I undertake by my faith and my honor to serve you unto death and to defend yourself against all kinds of people.”
Read also >> When Charles was invested Prince of Wales: “I undertake by my faith and my honor to serve you until death”
But then why was his successor Prince William not also entitled to this official proclamation, to all these honors? For a simple reason: during the coronation of Charles III on May 6, 2023, the Prince of Wales has already fulfilled this “task” by presenting himself as his father’s liege man. And then the heir is not the man to want to rekindle some tensions.
Kate’s husband does not want to give a foothold to the very powerful Welsh left, a left that points out that he never speaks Welsh, a language that in reality he does not master at all. The idea of a lavish ceremony does not seem to be very popular there. William, who wants to play for harmony, has therefore not insisted that it take place… To silence the first murmurs of discontent, William had chosen this difficult land as his first trip due to his rank. So, for the moment, he is trying to deepen over time the relationship of trust and respect that the royal family maintains with the Welsh population. And then William is perfectly aware of the political controversy that has long surrounded his father’s investiture in 1969. So he is in no hurry to start a new controversy or read banners like his father did in his time “Charlie, go home” (Charlie, go home). Or how to skillfully please both parties.
