The Waleses Visit Wales
William and Kate head back to Anglesey and Swansea
Today, the Prince and Princess of Wales made their first visit to Wales since they assumed their new titles. Although the period of mourning ended for the nation after the Queen’s funeral, the royal family continued on another seven days. Now that that additional period of mourning has concluded, it is nice to see the Waleses’ first choice to visit was Anglesey—a place that holds so many special memories for them both.
The couple kicked off their day with a visit to the Holyhead lifeboat station (later they also visited St. Thomas Church, Swansea). Kate was greeted by an enthusiastic little man who had been waiting hours to present his flowers to the princess.
Wales is, of course, close to William and Kate’s hearts. They lived here before their marriage and it was here that they chose to begin their engagement tour of the United Kingdom. Kate’s first real official public engagement was christening a lifeboat at the Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station.
Of course, the couple lived in Anglesey for the first few years of their marriage, too, a period of privacy and normalcy that they cherished. Returning today as the Prince and Princess of Wales seemed very special.
Fans will be interested to hear that the Palace let it be known today that William has no plans for a formal investiture in Wales. Instead, he wants to deepen the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time. This is yet another sign that William will approach his royal role with a very keen eye toward modernization.
The Queen’s funeral just cost a small fortune and next year’s coronation of Charles III will also cost a pretty penny. I am sure William is worried about the financial optics of an investiture in Wales. He isn’t wrong to be concerned, given the economic hardship people are already facing, but I also think that William simply does not like the pomp and pageantry of monarchy. Although the monarchy does need to find ways to remain relevant, it also must maintain core characteristics, and I hope William doesn’t run too far in the wrong direction.
Kate debuted a new coat from L.K. Bennett. This is the label’s “Spencer” coat. The Princess paired the piece with the wide-legged trousers she has been favoring. She carried her Grace Han handbag and wore Russell & Bromley heels. She added a little gold gleam with her Spells of Love Alia hoops.
Royal reporters said the crowds today were large and very enthusiastic to greet the new Prince and Princess of Wales. It was a very good start to their tenure.
While I agree with your comment about monarchy's "core characteristics," I wonder if it isn't a good thing that William might turn the monarchy more toward the European model of monarchy--fewer castles and palaces, only a a few glittering occasions a year, but with an emphasis on the kind of "meet the people" events like today. It would make a nice contrast from Meghan & Harry's expensive celebrity events like the upcoming GQ night. And what do you think of Meghan's being nominated for an award from the "GQ Man of the Year" event, Jane? Harry attended via video last year, what IS this event and why are H & M so popular in it? One tabloid said it was due to Enninful's being a "great friend" but I wonder what your take is?
I think it’s reasonable that he skips the investiture, and not just for financial reasons. The last two Princes of Wales had investitures because they came to the role young (the future Duke of Windsor in his teens, the now-King Charles as a child) and single. It made sense to have a ceremony to introduce them to the people. And being young, both had time to go to Wales and study the language etc. It’s a bit different when you come to the role as a 40 year old married father-of-three.