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Prince of Wales has no plans for investiture, Kensington Palace confirms

The Prince of Wales has no plans for an investiture, Kensington Palace has said.

William made his first visit on Wednesday to the Welsh Parliament since his father made him Prince of Wales.

The King's decision triggered a debate about whether or not there should be a repeat of Charles' 1969 investiture in Caernarfon.

While there was support for that event at the time, it also faced protests.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said it "easy to see" why a different approach was being taken "during tough times".

Meanwhile the prince said he is supporting both England and Wales at the World Cup, following controversy over his support for the former.

Deputy presiding officer David Rees said William accepted a Welsh bucket hat during the visit.

William met the First Minister Mark Drakeford, Presiding Officer Elin Jones and party leaders.

He arrived at the Senedd by car and entered through a side-entrance for the meeting in Cardiff, which is free of the pomp or crowds of recent royal events in the capital.

The Prince of Wales was given his title by the new King the day following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

It was William's second official visit to the country as Prince of Wales, after he and the Princess of Wales visited Anglesey and Swansea in September.

The role of Prince of Wales has faced criticism - the Plaid Cymru Senedd group said the title of has "no formal place or responsibility within Welsh life", following their meeting with the royal.

But the visit was welcomed by the Welsh Conservatives.

Kensington Palace said the meeting aimed to "deepen his understand of the issues and opportunities of greatest importance to the Welsh people".

BBC Wales was told that the prince understands he is at the start of a long period of association with Wales' political system, and was keen to express his desire to deepen the trust and respect of people of Wales over time.

He planned to tell them that there are no formal plans for an investiture ceremony, aware of the political controversy that surrounded the event in 1969.

Kensington Palace said an investiture is "not on the table".

On Wednesday the prince was given a brief tour of the Senedd building and debating chamber led by the Llywydd, Elin Jones.

He met politicians from the four parties represented in the Senedd - Welsh Labour, the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

William concluded his visit by meeting the Welsh Youth Parliament.

The meeting follows controversy about his support for the English football team, ahead of the World Cup.

On Tuesday evening, Welsh actor Michael Sheen questioned whether William's role as Prince of Wales was appropriate given his support of the England football team.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru MS, said on Twitter: "He's an Englishman, so of course he supports England," but added: "I'm clear there shouldn't be a Prince of Wales. But this football thing must be embarrassing for him too. Just highlights the nonsense."

After Elin Jones raised the World Cup group match between Wales and England, he said: "I'm telling everyone I'm supporting both, definitely. I can't lose.

"I've supported England since I've been quite small, but I support Welsh rugby and that's my kind of way of doing it.

"I happily support Wales over England in the rugby.

"I've got to be able to play carefully with my affiliations because I worry otherwise if I suddenly drop England to support Wales then that doesn't look right for the sport either. So I can't do that."

Prince Charles, as he was then, was 20 when he was crowned at the investiture ceremony at Caernarfon Castle.

While it had no formal constitutional role, the ceremony presented Charles with the symbols that marked him as Prince of Wales: the sword, coronet, ring, rod and mantle.

In addition to the 4000 guests present in the castle, 19 million saw it at home and another 500 million watched around the world.

The event was watched by a TV audience of millions. Street parties were held across the country, but it polarised opinion in Wales amid a backdrop of protests and bombings.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "I think it's a decision for him to make. He will have thought carefully about it. I always believed myself that taking 1969 as a template for Wales in 2022 would not be a reliable guide to the best way to proceed." 

"In tough times, I think everybody who is in a position of making decisions about how public money is spent, and the sort of messages that it sends to the wider population, will be thinking hard about that and I think it's very easy to see why the prince himself, and those who advise him, will come to the conclusion that a different approach is the right one to take in 2022."  

King Charles' decision to make William Prince of Wales triggered discussion among some politicians over whether an investiture would be suitable.

But in a Walesonline article, written in October, the presiding officer said investitures "should be consigned" to the 20th century.

Plaid Cymru MS Elin Jones, who is among those meeting William on Wednesday, wrote her republicanism remained "unshaken" following her involvement in the events marking the death of Queen Elizabeth at the Senedd and at St James' Palace, for the Accession Council.

In September Kensington Palace said there were no plans for Prince William to have an investiture "anything like his father had" as Prince of Wales.

Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies and Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price were among those who met William on Wednesday.

Mr Davies said it was a "pleasure to welcome the Prince of Wales".

He added: "After the King and Queen's recent visit, it is fantastic to see the bonds between Wales and our Royal Family becoming stronger still. There is a huge amount of goodwill towards the Prince and Princess in Wales, and I know there will always be a warm welcome for them whenever they visit.

A spokesperson on behalf of the Plaid Cymru group said: "The Plaid Cymru group have been clear that we believe the title of the "Prince of Wales" to be antiquated and out of touch with a modern, equal, and democratic Wales."

"Furthermore, given the exacerbating cost of living crisis and the historical sensitives, an investiture should not take place in any circumstance - nor should any service that could be interpreted as a lesser form of an investiture," the group said.

It added: "We look forward to seeing the Prince use the platform he has already, that isn't necessarily reliant on him being Prince of Wales, to promote good causes and positive change across Wales and the world including tackling child poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis."

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds, said: "It was an honour to welcome His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to the Senedd this morning and I am extremely grateful for him taking the time to have a one-on-one meeting with me.

"It is very clear that His Royal Highness cares deeply about the people of Wales and it was fantastic to hear of his commitment to mental health causes, particularly his interest in mental health provisions for rural areas and farmers."

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