The Prince of Wales & the Caernarfon investitures

Where the tradition begins: 1284

The connection between Caernarfon and the Prince of Wales title goes back to the castle's construction. Edward I's son, born at Caernarfon in 1284, was — according to a long-repeated but likely embellished tradition — presented to the newly conquered Welsh as a prince "born in Wales, who could speak not a word of English." He was created Prince of Wales in 1301 and later became King Edward II. The title has been given to the monarch's eldest son ever since, though it is not automatic or hereditary — each holder is formally created Prince of Wales by the reigning monarch.

1911: reviving a ceremony

There had been no formal investiture ceremony held at Caernarfon for centuries until 1911, when the future Edward VIII was invested there as a young man, in a ceremony substantially shaped by David Lloyd George, then a rising Welsh politician. It set the precedent that the 1969 ceremony would later follow.

1 July 1969: the investiture of Charles

Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, had been created Prince of Wales by letters patent as early as 1958, when he was nine years old. The formal, public investiture — the ceremony most people picture — didn't take place until 1 July 1969, ten days after a documentary called Royal Family had aired on the BBC and ITV, putting the monarchy firmly in the public eye.

In the run-up to the ceremony, the 20-year-old Charles spent ten weeks at Aberystwyth studying Welsh history, culture and language under the Welsh nationalist academic Edward Millward, and delivered part of his response during the ceremony in Welsh.

On the day itself, Charles entered the Chamberlain Tower to await the Queen's arrival. The Queen, with Prince Philip, the Earl Marshal (the Duke of Norfolk) and other officers of state, processed to a purpose-built stage set within the castle walls. There, the Queen invested Charles with the symbols of the title — sword, coronet, ring, rod and mantle — while the Letters Patent of his creation were read aloud in Welsh, and Charles then swore his oath of allegiance.

A Royal Air Force flypast of 24 aircraft marked the occasion. Around 4,000 people watched from within the castle itself, with an estimated 90,000 more gathering in the town — fewer than the 250,000 originally predicted, since much of the country chose to watch on television instead. Coverage reached an estimated 500 million people worldwide and around 19 million viewers in the UK, making it one of the most-watched television broadcasts of its era.

Not everyone welcomed it

The event was not universally popular. It drew opposition from some Welsh nationalist groups, who objected to a ceremony they saw as an assertion of English royal authority in Wales — a criticism with obvious echoes of the castle's original 13th-century purpose. Two members of the Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (Welsh Defence Movement) were killed by an explosive device they were reportedly transporting the night before the ceremony, in Abergele, underlining how seriously feelings ran at the time. The investiture nonetheless proceeded, and was, for many people in Wales, also embraced as a moment of national pride and a boost to tourism — Swansea was granted city status to mark the occasion.

Would it happen again?

King Charles III's own son, William, was created Prince of Wales in September 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but — unlike his father — has not (as of this guide's last update) had a formal investiture ceremony at Caernarfon Castle. Whether a similar public ceremony will be held in future is a decision for the Royal Household and the UK Government, not something this independent guide can predict; we'll update this page if that changes.