Prince of Wales: Ex-minister wants talks on prince investiture

An ex-UK cabinet minister said he hoped the King and Welsh ministers discuss any plan for a ceremony formally acknowledging the new Prince of Wales.

Lord Murphy, who served as a Welsh and Northern Ireland secretary, said such a ceremony could be held in the Senedd.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has said the Senedd should decide whether to hold an investiture for Prince William after a "national conversation".

The UK government said it would not be commenting during a time of mourning.

Former Labour MP for Torfaen Lord Murphy said the King took the role of Prince of Wales "very very seriously".

Lord Murphy said he did not think the ceremony should be as elaborate at the 1969 investiture of the then-Prince Charles at Caernarfon Castle.

Speaking on BBC Wales Today, he said: "But there could well be a possibility of some sort of ceremony, say in the Senedd, which the first minister and the King would agree on to symbolise the fact that he's taken over this role as Prince of Wales and that he takes it very seriously.

"So I hope they do talk about that in the weeks ahead."

Lord Murphy, who has met King Charles on many occasions, said the monarch was "deeply committed" to the role of Prince of Wales.

"It wasn't just a title. It wasn't just a ceremonial asset. It was something that he took extremely seriously.

"And I'm sure that Prince William, the new Prince of Wales, will do exactly the same. After all, in a sense, he's the heir to his father when he was the Prince of Wales and now he's taken over that role as well.

"So it is a hugely symbolic and constitutional role as well."

On Monday, First Minister Mark Drakeford said Prince William would try to carry out his role in a fitting way for modern Wales, adding that he had a "very warm" conversation with the prince after he and his wife Catherine were named Prince and Princess of Wales.

Mr Price said he was on record saying he did not believe there was a role for a Prince of Wales in a "modern democratic Wales" and had not changed his view.

He said he was mindful not to draw the Royal Family into a political debate as they mourn, but believed the investiture was different because that was a political decision.

"It is not necessary and it was decided in 1911 and 1969, essentially by politicians, to hold the ceremony so I think that it is a legitimate area of discussion," Mr Price told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"I think the first minister was right to say it's important that there is an opportunity for us in Wales to have a conversation about whether we want to have that ceremony, which effectively invests in the title of an official role, and a national status, like almost a constitutional role."

There has been debate over the future of the role of the Prince of Wales, with an opinion poll of 1,020 people in June 2022, conducted by ITV and YouGov, suggesting 46% of people thought there should be another Prince of Wales, while 31% did not.

But Mr Drakeford said now was not the time for that conversation.

"I think there is a debate to be had, and it is absolutely proper. I don't think the debate needs to come to a climax in this week of all weeks," the first minister had said.

Mr Drakeford had previously said any investiture ceremony should not be a repeat of that of the prince's father at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

The Senedd, or Welsh Parliament, was created as the National Assembly for Wales in 1999, changing its name to reflect increased law making and tax raising powers it has acquired.

Mr Drakeford's Labour Party has 30 of the 60 seats in the Cardiff Bay chamber, the Conservatives 16, Plaid Cymru 13 and the Liberal Democrats one.

There are plans to increase the number of Senedd members to 96 in time for the next Welsh parliamentary election, due in 2026.