Prince Charles was officially invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle on 1st July 1969. Fitting then that yesterday – on the same date – the Prince kicked of his and his wife, The Duchess of Cornwall’s, five day visit to Wales. The couple will carry out over 20 engagements in the country in just five days. This is known as Wales Week.
Prince Charles was alone in Cardiff, where he carried out a number of engagements starting with a visit to Llandaff Cathedral to attend a regimental memorial service with The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, of which he is Colonel-in-Chief. The service was dedicated to commemorate comrades within the Regiment who had lost their lives in war and saw the Royal lay a wreath of poppies in their memory.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Prince Charles, who has been Colonel-in-Chief of The Queen’s Dragoon Guards since 2003 and wore a tie featuring the regiments colours for the service, then shared a cup of teas with soldiers in a reception following the service.
For the second engagement of the day, Charles paid a visit to a Prince’s Trust call centre in Nantgarw. There he met helpline advisors who speak to young people and manage over 6,000 inbound calls, 3,000 outbound calls and 350 video calls a month.
The Prince’s Trust is a youth charity which helps people from the ages of 11 to 30 get into education, training and jobs. The Trust began in 1976, when the Prince of Wales set it up. He was only 24 at the time and the charity has gone on to help over 870,000 people to turn their lives around.
During his visit to the centre the Prince enjoyed another cup of tea, this time out of a very fitting cup feature a red dragon like on the Welsh flag, as he spoke with staff and those who have availed of the charities services – such as Alice Ojeda who went on to set up Authentic House after completing their enterprise course. He also delighted in getting to cut into a Prince’s Trust Cake. It certainly made for some fantastic photographs!
The Prince of Wales began his annual summer visit to Wales today with a visit to his Trust’s call centre at Nantgarw, near Cardiff, where he met those who help over 72,000 young people getting in touch with the charity over the phone, often for the first time. pic.twitter.com/mmruzxGwLD
— The Prince's Trust (@PrincesTrust) July 1, 2019
Although there was nothing to do with the Golden Jubilee of his investiture in his schedule today, or indeed his schedule for the week, The Prince’s Trust did mark the occasion by giving their president a beautiful gift. Mari Thomas, a jeweller and goldsmith, presented Charles with a pair of cuff links as he left the centre. Ms Thomas received support from the Trust to launch her business 21 years ago and had only met the Prince, who recognised her immediately, a week ago at another event!
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Investiture of The Prince of Wales, our president was presented with a gift from @MariTJewellery, who received Trust support to launch her business 21 years ago ? pic.twitter.com/papaPcg3kL
— Prince's Trust Cymru (@PrincesTrustWal) July 1, 2019
Hearing about Ms Thomas success with her business seemed to excited Charles as he was seen doing a small double fist bump as the two spoke to one another.
Charles does a small double fist pump in celebration after learning of the success of @MariTJewellery who was helped by the @PrincesTrustWal pic.twitter.com/gCMohsbbsZ
— PA Royal Reporters (@PARoyal) July 1, 2019
The last engagement of the day took place in Ty’n-y-Coed Forest. There, The Prince met with horse loggers, and their horses, who work in the woodland to find out more about their work and also see them at work.
.@BHLoggers aim to promote horse logging as a viable and sustainable option within modern forestry, showcasing the many benefits to both woodlands and horses. pic.twitter.com/jeFsUrYOPS
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) July 1, 2019
Charles has been Patron of The British Horse Loggers since 2004. The association aims to promote horse logging as a viable and sustainable option within modern forestry and showcase the many benefits to woodlands and horses. A fitting patronage for someone like The Prince of Wales, who is very conscious of Global Warming and the planet.
A fabulous first day in sunny Wales for the Prince of Wales, 50 years on from another fabulous Welsh day in his personal history and in the history of the State. Tomorrow, His Royal Highness will be joined by his wife, The Duchess of Cornwall for much more fun and more fantastic photos!
