London:
British heir apparent William and his wife Catherine made their first visit to Wales on Tuesday since they became the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
Large crowds gathered around Holyhead Marina on the Isle of Anglesey, off the northwest coast of Wales, to greet the royal couple.
William inherited the title on the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, when his father – the previous Prince of Wales – became king.
The visit came as media reports said William had no plans for “any sort” of inauguration.
King Charles III spent time learning Welsh in college before being crowned by his mother at a televised ceremony at Caernarfon Castle in July 1969 when he was 20.
During the elaborate investiture ceremony, the Queen placed a crown on Charles’ head and helped arrange robes around his shoulders.
He swore fealty to his mother with the words, “I, Charles, Prince of Wales, become indeed thy vassal of life and limbs.”
The Press Association domestic news agency reported that, rather than planning an investiture, William focused over time on building the trust and respect of the people of Wales.
His wife Catherine, meanwhile, while aware of the history associated with the role, wanted to create “her own path,” a royal source said in the days following the Queen’s death on Sept. 8.
At the same time, William spoke by telephone with Mark Drakeford, Prime Minister of Wales and an outspoken Republican – a conversation in which the Prince mentioned his “deep affection for Wales”.
The Prince, who previously served as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot while living with Catherine on Anglesey, “paid tribute to him and the Princess of Wales when asked by the King to serve the Welsh people”.
King Charles and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, visited Wales in the days after his mother’s death as part of a tour of the British homelands.
In a speech to the Welsh Parliament, he said William’s “love for this corner of the earth” had been made “all the greater” by the years he had spent there.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
