Prince William and Kate were surprised when King Charles announced that they were automatically the Prince and Princess of Wales just one day after QEII’s passing. William and Kate had already assumed their Cornwall titles automatically, and they changed their social media profiles immediately with the Cornwall titles. But the PoW titles? Those come with an investiture ceremony in Wales. It’s more like William is the Prince of Wales Presumptive, because he hasn’t been formally invested. Still, William and Kate were keen, as ever, and they changed their social media yet again to reflect their new titles back in September.
Since then, there has been literally no organization around an investiture. At first, I thought that was because the sole focus was on the coronation, and they would start to plan William’s ceremony afterwards. But it’s getting pretty clear that William has next to no desire to go to Wales, learn Welsh, speak Welsh or stand around at Caernarfon Castle in a coronet. Kensington Palace keeps trying to tamp down expectations (as always) and it genuinely sounds like they’re trying to just breeze into Wales for a few hours, do some lowkey investiture behind closed doors and get the f–k out of town in a hurry. Speaking of, the Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle had this interesting aside:
William, keen to avoid a Prince of Wales investiture similar to his dad’s 1969 Ruritanian extravaganza, might not get off as lightly as he’d hoped.
Announcing the formal Letters Patent, the King last week declared that he would honour William by ‘gifting him with a sword, by placing a coronet upon his head and a gold ring upon his finger and also by delivering a gold rod into his hand’.
Doesn’t it sound like the ceremony William wants to avoid?
He certainly won’t want to don a coronet similar to his dad’s. The golden orb on top was a table tennis ball encased in gold leaf.
I didn’t know Charles had announced the sword, coronet and gold ring last week. That’s interesting. Sounds like there’s a disagreement between father and son and the two royal courts about the best way to do an investiture. Charles wants some pomp and he wants William hemmed in by making Peg do an unpopular ceremony in Wales. And Peg is like “nope, not doing that, not planning that, I want no part of any of it.” Who will win??
PS… It’s so funny that William’s office is telling everyone that he’s keen to be a “global statesman” meanwhile he’s afraid of being booed by Welsh separatists at his fancy investiture keenery.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, visits the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, in Cardiff on November 16, 2022.,Image: 737950850, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, visits the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, in Cardiff on November 16, 2022.,Image: 737950875, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
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- Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales reacts after arriving for a St David’s Day parade with members of the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards in Windsor England, Wednesday, March 1, 2023.,Image: 759474037, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alastair Grant / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales sit for an official photo with The Prince of Wales’s company at a St David’s Day parade with members of the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards in Windsor England, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. It is the first time The Prince has visited the Welsh Guards since becoming Colonel of the Regiment.,Image: 759474294, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alastair Grant / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales sit for an official photo with The Prince of Wales’s company at a St David’s Day parade with members of the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards in Windsor England, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. It is the first time The Prince has visited the Welsh Guards since becoming Colonel of the Regiment.,Image: 759474406, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alastair Grant / Avalon
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- London, UK, 13th Mar 2023. William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales. Politicians, Royals and guests arrive and depart form today’s Commonwealth Service held at Westminster Abbey in central London,Image: 762528092, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter / Avalon
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- Prince William The Prince Of Wales and Catherine The Princess of Wales depart a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey, London, England, UK on Monday 13 March, 2023.,Image: 762532415, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visit the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards ahead of the St David’s Day Parade at Combermere Barracks in Windsor Featuring: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 01 Mar 2023 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- The Princess of Wales speaks on stage with the Prince of Wales during a visit to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards for the St Patrick’s Day Parade, at Mons Barracks in Aldershot. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William Where: Aldershot, United Kingdom When: 17 Mar 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Then give it back. Don’t want it? Don’t want to do the work? Give it back! No one’s stopping you and the Welsh will be grateful. But, no, you want all the wealth and privilege, just not the attention drawn to your incompetence. We should all be so unimpressive in our own jobs.
I well remember the formal investiture of Charles in Wales. It was a very expensive piece of theatre and a tremendous inconvenience to the Welsh who deeply resented having their noses rubbed in the fact that the British monarchy “owns” them and feels entitled to Wales. I don’t see William immersing himself in Welsh culture and learning the language as Charles did, plus making a big fuss about all of this would encourage the Welsh to unite, rise up, and break free.
Princess Margaret’s then husband Snowdon was in charge of planning the Investiture of Prince Charles.
William just wants the perks without the pressures. In everything.
He is his father’s son…
Charles is pompous, arrogant, out of touch, and a buffoon, but he’s not lazy. Chuck learned Welsh, he created the Princes trust. Peggy is lazy.
…the King last week declared that he would honour William by ‘gifting him with a sword, by placing a coronet upon his head and a gold ring upon his finger and also by delivering a gold rod into his hand’.
@Peachy, Is one of the perks the ‘ gold rod’ his dad’s going to give him 🤣🤣. The jokes just write themselves with these two clowns. Now then Willy, I wonder… what possible use could you find for a new gold rod? 😉
LOLZ
Comment of the day
I wonder if he has ever has a golden one?! ROTFL…best comment of the day!
I dub thee the Lazy Prince of Wales. There it’s done.
This….in terms of perks and privileges…
Bullyam is afraid of protesters at a ceremony in Wales and those images going around the world. I bet he’s fighting pledging fealty to Camilla at the Con-a-Nation.
I mean, the danger with all this ceremonial pomp is that it rings so hollow in 2023. No way to get away from that. The coronet/gold rod/sword/ring thing is unlikely to go down well.
I agree. The ceremonial pomp is just ridiculous at this point in history. It will go over like a lead balloon, especially since the whole PoW investiture was designed by Edward I to humiliate, subjugate, and punish the Welsh.
Yep, and add to that the way that Charles’ own POW investiture was perceived as way over the top back in 1969. The pomp and circumstance really underlines how bogus the whole thing is.
He’s a lazy man.
He truly is a lazy man and a bit of a Shakespearean figure in that he is surrounded by all this pomp and glitz and yet because of the pomp and show of it all they won’t get him the mental health support that he clearly(allegedly) needs. Though honestly he seems like he would be a horrible person without all of these alleged mental health issues, but we won’t ever know.
Think William is aware of the meme potential. Along with the irl protest potential.
Interesting that Chuck is pushing for a public investiture – sounds like chucking the Wails under the bus to divert from his coronation which is going to be a disaster as no one of interest wants to go. Am sure Keen is up for this, means she can lord it around the plebs making thousands of £ of designer clothes and bling look cheap and tacky.
I agree with you DU. At least Khate can have a new coat dress whipped up with lots of buttons. It will be red and the buttons can have dragons embossed on them for some cosplay.
Yup @ Digital Unicorn! Bullyiam will have to undertake this ceremony whether he likes it or not. He isn’t in charge, his father is and he will be forced into this process. It will be fodder for years to come and Bullyiam will automatically go to his usual temper tantrums from here on out. Bullyiam deserves to be thrown under the bus. He is a pro at throwing others, so let it commence!!
“similar to his dad’s 1969 Ruritanian extravaganza”
OUCH!!
Right?? They seem to have no problem ridiculing the king. And I did a quick image search to check, just in case, but no, they didn’t really cover a tennis ball with gold leaf. That was just more snark.
It was a ping pong ball. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronet_of_Charles,_Prince_of_Wales
@ljndawson: ha! I bet he’s been stewing about that gold-covered pingpong ball ever since then!
I kind of think the way Kate looks in the bottom picture of her with her eyes bugging and mouth open is how she looks when she is speaking to people she deems not worthy. Basically everyone. I’ve never seen Meghan looking like that. Manners and etiquette are to be used to put people at ease, not to belittle them. Meghan has impeccable manners, Kate, clearly, does not.
They both look constipated in that Welsh Guards photo. Always so ill-at-ease.
but…but … the lining of his coat matches her outfit, surely that’s the most important thing? (another tick on the Keen copy board)
At the bare minimum at least William is aware of the bad optics. He knows the press and social media will go to town on his ass. He also wants to avoid a scheduled event lest the Welsh arrange a protest that could also go global.
Even with that awareness, it won’t stop him from taking the title and all the perks that come with it.
“He knows the press and social media will go to town on his ass.” He also remembers the colonial co-splay tour from just last year. Then there’s the gold ring thing. He doesn’t do jewelry. We know because he told us before his wedding. How will he explain to Kate that he will wear a PofW ring but not a wedding ring?
Jenna, that’s Kate’s *eat a pickle* look. It turns Billy wild!
(I’ll leave now and close the door…in 3,2,1)
William knows bad optics so well because he creates them for Harry and Meghan all the time…
Wills might enjoy some “going to town” on his ass.
Well Harry did say that Charles believes that whatever he went through he sees nothing wrong with his experiencing the same thing. Charles wants William to have an investiture like he did and bedamned what the Welsh people think about it.
Ah come on, it’s going to be laughable, can’t you see botox stamping her feet and screeching “but willy you must, I want the investiture, I want a new dress, a new wiglet and I will look wonderful in Welsh gold, and just think willy, you will have a solid gold peg, at least that won’t tarnish!! 😂😂
And willy will say” gosh yes, never thought of that, a solid gold peg, oh just think of it, I can’t imagine anything more wonderful, my very own crown jewel and no more scrubbing dear “.
OMG…You are making me cry laughing!
Charles wants to firmly establish the Wanks as Prince and Princess of Wales to erase the memory of Diana as Princess of Wales. The title has been associated with Diana since their marriage and no way Kate can ever live up to the title the same as Diana. IMO that’s the reason Charles announced the titles so quickly. To erase Diana.
IMO he announced the title so quickly because the Welsh were getting ready to protest having a POW at all.
Both things can be true, and in this case I believe they are.
Pity, I know the perfect coronet for Prince William, befitting his position in life.
https://i.etsystatic.com/11894332/r/il/143946/1915222698/il_fullxfull.1915222698_29rc.jpg
🤣 Perfect for the Prince of Pegging!
Willy and Chaz do not like each other. That’s all.
KFC is hoping for the impossible. Nothing will erase Princess Diana. She has been referred to as the Princess of Wales since she married. Wails has been referred to as Kate Middleton or Duchess of Cambridge since she married.
Do these people honestly think that Wails can obliterate the memories we have of Princess Di? Good luck with that. Fails will continue to be known as Kate Middleton just like she has been for 20 years. Get a clue, Chuck.
I don’t think he needs the investiture to be officially the Prince of Wales. I think Charles naming him PoW is sufficient in letters patent, which it sounds like he did.
I kind of want the investiture to go forward because I think it will be SUCH bad optics and will just further prove how out of touch the royals are.
I want Will to have to wear knee breeches. Tight ones, showing off his shortcomings. Oh the wrath of the rod (golden…but maybe the paint will wilt in the rainy mist).
I’ve been on a royal biography kick lately, and they don’t HAVE to do a ceremony for W. There was one for Charles and for Edward VIII, but before that there hadn’t been a formal investiture for centuries. Edward VII didn’t have one when he was PoW, for example.
I tried to see if I could find photographs or painting of pre-20th century investitures and none showed up. So possibly the handing over of the Prince of Wales regalia was traditionally a pretty minor ceremony. King Charles could probably just throw William’s Prince of Wales investiture in with the normal investiture ceremonies that occur or else hold a small separate ceremony in the same room If William does not want to share the day with others.
Prince Edward disliked his apparel for his investiture calling it “that preposterous rig.”
Edward did have a kind of ceremony in 1911, and hated the outfit he was forced to wear.
If the King wants to plan an investiture for Bill, then he will have to do it himself… because its not going to happen on its own with Bill at the helm. And if Charles does plan it, William wouldn’t have the nerve to not attend.
With Harry becoming more and more irrelevant to the Royal inner circle — they will continue to wage war amongst themselves and I am here to throw my tomatoes at all of it.
Tbh, I don’t think it should matter what William thinks. Charles gives him a bit too much leeway! He’s waited like 50 years to be king and he chooses to wield his power in the lamest, most unnecessary ways. He as king should decide how things will be done, as if he had a choice when QEII was alive and did his!
If this useless tosspot is going to prance about calling himself the Prince of Wales, at least dignify this with an investiture. And do it in the full public view of his new “subjects”, the Welsh people – not behind closed doors.
I think I can guess how this would go, and we all need to see it.
Yet *another* expensive royal shiny hat party?
It sounds like just another event where most of the attention will be on whether the Sussexes will attend.
There have been a few articles recently where William (or sources close to him) has emphasized that he wants a very “low key” ceremony, or none at all. I thought that he was just trying to draw a contrast with the overly pompous and expensive coronation ceremony and score some points. But maybe he’s also afraid of the expectations that come with it?
It’s not just the pressure to learn some Welsh and gain some familiarity with their culture. He’ll have to announce what he plans to do with his newfound role, and people will expect him to step up in a way that he has previously avoided. This is a man who scrupulously avoids doing the “bread and butter” engagements because, he claims, he’s going to really focus on big projects instead. Except we’ve yet to see any of them actually get off the ground. The high point for Bill last year was getting to show off his special airplane slippers at the Top Gun premiere.
The Cambridges always made a point of lowering expectations, whether it was passing out shamrocks with the Irish guards ( where they explicitly didn’t want people to expect them to do it every year), not bothering to show up for their sports patronages, to being AWOL for the BAFTAS even when it’s literally held downstairs. They set the bar as low as it can possibly go, then expect lavish praise on the rare occasion that they just barely clear it. It’s their whole modus operandi.
Will doesn’t want to make a big deal of this investiture because he doesn’t want to set even the minimum of expectations. You wouldn’t want people getting ideas about how regularly he should be in Wales, or how much of the language he should learn, or his responsibilities there. If he just never accepts the job, nobody will expect him to succeed at it, right?
By 21, as many have pointed out, Charles already had interests in the environment and was starting his work with the prince’s trust. At 40, what does William do?
Willie does nothing! He has had his entire life to prepare for this and…crickets!
I love that whilst living in Wales, knowing that they would one day be P&PoW, they made NO effort to learn the language, familiarize themselves with the culture, etc. It isn’t like Wales just got dropped in Will’s lap one day — he always knew this was the job, he just stubbornly refused to do it. If you’re going to be the PoW, you should be raised bilingual, IMO. It isn’t like it would hard to do — a Welsh nanny would take care of that. But to fail to learn anything in years of living there . . .
That’s another reason Bullyam doesn’t want the investigate, the press will wonder if the Sussexes or Harry will show up. That would be embarrassing.
Harry won’t be able to escape speculation, whether he and Meghan will attend the Investiture and other events like Charles 75th birthday and so on.
Let’s face it: he wants all the glory and all the money and none of the work. What else is new? Does the sinecure also include another CASTLE in Wales? He’ll take that, too, please. Learn Welsh? No, he’s not doing that. Lazy a–hole.
There’s no requirement to have an investiture to be PoW, once Charles declared William PoW, he became PoW. Save the money, don’t have a ceremony
William doesn’t want to do the homework involved.
And the more I see Kate’s suit at the Commonwealth service, the more I hate it.
I think William is afraid of failure. That’s why he threw little brother under the bus or pointed out his flaws. It was so he could hide. William is older then me and I noticed ages ago how everytime a harry article came out there would be a “William decided not to do it” article. Like who ask? Just do your thing William. Well, William just wants to glide until he becomes king.
There’s zero requirement for an investiture. The PM, David Lloyd George, who was Welsh, convinced George v to have one in 1911 to better tie wales to the kingdom. George hadn’t had one, nor had his father or anyone else in recent memory. Then Charles had one.
They’re better if NOT having one given modern feelings.
That top photo looks like they are in a Nazi movie .
My god they are looking sour.and unhappy .
I was under the impression there is NOT going to be an Investiture. Has that not already been announced?