What is an official investiture? The Prince and Princess of Wales ‘denied’ perks of costly Royal ceremony

With the King’s Coronation having had its critics due to the near £250 million cost for the event during a cost of living crisis, it would seem that Prince William and Princess Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, are well aware any further extravagant ceremonies may diminish their popularity with the general public. This has become none more apparent than the pair scrapping plans for an official investiture ceremony, akin to the one King Charles III had back in 1969.

News has already emerged that Prince William is planning how his coronation would be run, once again seemingly conscious of the costs of the previous ceremony and how it may play into anti-monarchist sentiments in the near future. The Mirror reported that the official investiture ceremony has been ‘denied’ for the pair due to King Charles III continued efforts to “slim down” the budget of the working Royal family members.

Kensington Palace had previously commented that another official investiture was not on the table, and Royal commentator Daniela Elser said the "most obvious" reason to pull the plug on an investiture is simply due to the amount it costs.

Writing for news.com.au, Ms Elser added: "It’s easy to understand why the Waleses might have no interest in going down the investiture route and it has nothing to do with the prospect of spending time in Cardiff or learning to love a pastie.”

“The point is here, investitures are not something one can do on the cheap, therefore, if William and Kate did decide they wanted their own, it would require someone spending tens of millions of dollars on something that would be nothing but a blatant marketing ploy,” she continues, “Not only will William not get the chance to do some King-in-waiting play-acting for TV cameras at his own Wales investiture but it means that his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales has been denied the chance to get Alexander McQueen to design her up another Athena-esque, goddess-like get-up.”

What is the official investiture ceremony?

An official investiture is a ceremonial event where individuals receive honours, such as knighthood or other awards, from a member of the British royal family, usually the reigning monarch or a representative. It is a formal recognition of their achievements and contributions to society. During the investiture, recipients are presented with their insignia, such as medals or badges, and often take an oath or make a pledge of loyalty

King Charles III’s investiture ceremony was held on July 1, 1969, at Caernarfon Castle in Wales to formally invest the then Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales, the traditional title bestowed upon the heir apparent to the British throne. Symbolising the connection between the Prince of Wales and the Welsh people, the ceremony highlighted Welsh culture and heritage. It featured the presentation of regalia, including a coronet, mantle, and sword, symbolising his new role.

However, King Charle sIII' investiture faced opposition from Welsh nationalist groups who considered it a symbol of British imperialism. Despite their protests, the ceremony took place with minimal problems, but perhaps the looming idea of another speight of British imperialism claims against Prince William and the Royal family is as good of a reason to skip the pomp and pageantry this time around as is the cost of the event.