Prince William Is Already Bucking Tradition In His New Role
Shortly after becoming King Charles III upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, the new king announced his eldest son as William, Prince of Wales. William's wife, Kate Middleton, subsequently became Princess of Wales.
The tradition — though not always upheld — of having the title of Prince of Wales borne by the male heir to the throne dates back to 1301 and, while King Charles automatically became king when Queen Elizabeth died, the title of Prince of Wales has to be directly given by the monarch.
Broadly speaking, there was often little interest in Wales, historically, by the royal who held the title of Prince of Wales, but that changed with King Charles, according to Town & Country. Charles developed a fondness for Wales in 1969 after studying the Welsh language and spending a university term at Aberystwyth University. The 1969 investiture for then 20-year-old Prince Charles to be presented formally as Prince of Wales involved the queen giving Prince Charles the state symbols for the Prince of Wales including a sword, coronet, and mantle. At the ceremony, the young prince gave a speech in both English and Welsh to an audience of 4,000 at Caernarfon Castle with 500 million tuning in to watch around the world, according to BBC.
But it sounds like William, Prince of Wales isn't going to have that same pageantry.
Prince William wants a more low-key investiture as Prince of Wales
Kensington Palace has reported that Prince William's plans for investiture wouldn't be "anything like his father had," according to the BBC. In a phone call to the first minister of Wales, William, Prince of Wales talked about how much he and his wife love Wales, per the BBC. The couple reportedly have plans for the people of Wales, and Kensington Palace has said they will "do their part to support the aspirations of the Welsh people."
Having a low-key investiture seems to be a popular decision for some in Wales, especially given King Charles' often-complicated history with the country. "There will be a coming out party, I would have thought, for the new Prince and Princess of Wales but I, personally, do not favour another stunt in Caernarfon Castle," Welsh politician Lord Elis-Thomas told the BBC. Some in Wales didn't appreciate the pomp and ceremony surrounding the 1969 investiture, and in the days and even years leading up to it, there had been protests in support of Welsh nationalism, per Esquire.
In their first official visit to Wales since receiving their new titles, William and Kate Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales, went first to the island of Anglesey — they lived there for three years while William worked as an RAF Search and Rescue helicopter pilot — and then to Swansea to meet volunteers at a church, according to the BBC. Kate reportedly told one royal fan in Anglesey that the island "was a happy place for them."