THE PRINCE OF WALES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 18, 15 July 1911, Page 5

THE PRINCE OF WALES.

INVESTITURE IN WALES. A PICTURESQUE SCENE. By Cable —Press Association—Copyright. London, July 13. A hundred thousand jubilant Welsh people poured into Carnarvon to witness the picturesque investitute of the Prince of Wales. Many London police and firemen assisted to line the route. The Sovereigns and Royalties were rapturously received. The King was in admiral's uniform. The troops and sailors numbered 16,000. The Prince of Wales was initiated as chief of the Welsh Boy Scouts.

IMPRESSIVE CEREMONIES.

"LAND OF OUR FATHERS."

Received 14, 10.50 p.m,

London, July 14.

The Prince of Wales, in the uniform of a midshipman, arrived at Carnarvon Oastle escorted' by Lord Denbigh and his yeomanry. He received a tremendous ovation and a twenty-one guns salute in the castle square. Mr. Lloyd-George, as Constable of the Castle, received the Prince.

There was a procession of Druids, lords, heralds, thirty-nine Welsh Mayors, and twenty-four Welsh members of Parliament, accompanied by chamberlains to the tower, where the prince awaited their Majesties, who arrived an hour later.

Princess Mary, of Connaught and many great officers accompanied their Majesties, who were escorted by a squaddon of life Guards.

Mr. Lloyd-George delivered the key. A brilliant assemblage, including Mr. Asquith, Mr. Birrell, Mr. Balfour, Mr. Burns, and Mr. Harcourt, assembled on the dais in the courtyard. Eight thousand guests were present on tiers of seats,-and every available space was filled. The Garter King of Arms summoned the Prince of Wales, who wore a short eurcoat, knee breeches and robe.

The King personally girded on the Prince's sword and placed the coronet on his head, the ring on his finger and the gold stick in his hand. The people greeted each act with cheers. The Prince then knelt, doing homage to the Principality and repeating the Abbey oath. . The King handed the letters patent to the Prince, and kissed him on the cheeks.

A religious service followed. Sir John Rys Mabon, fhe Arch-Druid, presented an address from the people pf Wales greeting the Prince as their leader.

H.R.H. the Prince of Wales replied: "I am very young, but I have as my example my dear father and mother.— (Hearty cheering.)—l hope to do my duty to my King and my principality." The Welsh phrases in the Prince's speech hugely delighted the populace. The King presented the Prince at the Queen's Gate to the thousands surrounding the castle. The crowd sang "Land of our Fathers," as only a Welsh crowd can sing. The presentation was twice repeated amid a fervent demonstration of loyalty. Their Majesties later returned to Holyhead.

The title of Prince of Wales was originally borne bv those native rulers of I that territory, who governed it as suzerains of the English Crown, and the commonly received, though not wholly undisputed, storv of the transfer of this title to their heirs of the latter is that Edward 1., when expecting the birth of his second son, promised the Welsh to give them a prince "free from any blemish upon his honor and unable to speak a word of English," and that he then sent at once for Queen Eleanor, whose child was duly born at Carnarvon Castle. The title thus practically dates from the year 1284. and was at first unconnected with heirship to the throne of England, though in itself intended to be hereditary, the King's lands in Wales having in 1301' been formally settled upon the then prince and his heirs; but upon the prince ultimately succeeding to the throne as Edward 11., his elder brother Alphonse having died, the title beT came merged in the Crown, and from that day it has in every instance been made a distinction of personal investiture.

The insignia of the Prince of Wales comprise in the first place the special feature known as the Prince of Wales'

feathers, consisting of three ostrich plumes, formerly figured as drooping, though in 1878 this form was abandoned for the older one in which the feathers are erect except just at the ends. At the base of these is an antique coronet, pendent from which is a scroll with the motto "Ich Dien" (old German for "I

serve"), both feathers and motto having been taken by the Black Prince from the head of the King of Bohemia, who was slain in the Battle of Crecy. In 1001 there was added the badge of a red dragon, designed to represent the Principality of Wales. The Prince of Wales has also his distinctive coronet, which resembles St. Edward's crown, except that it possesses but a single arch (surmounted, however, with the orb), and is of gold without jewellery. His Parliamentary mantle is adorned with five bars of ermine, each bar having gold lace above it; that worn at a Coronation is doubled below the elbow with ermine, spotted diamond-wise. All these insignia, however, appertain to the heir to the throne whether bearing the title of Prince of Wales or not. The Prince is born a member of the House of Lords, and minority in his case does not count.