Fifty years ago in Caernarfon, Prince Charles became Prince of Wales. ITV documentary ‘Charles: 50 Years a Prince’ celebrated Wales through the eyes of the royal. However, the investiture of the Prince in 1969 was not all peaceful, as warnings of “snipers” and “grave danger” terrified the security forces.

At only 20 years old, Prince Charles was dubbed the Prince of Wales in a lavish, televised ceremony in Caernarfon Castle.

Len Williams, a then Detective Chief Inspector, was part of the security force for the event and shared the warning of a “sniper” that they had received.

“First there was a loud bang. Those of us that knew what an explosion sounded like, knew it was an explosion.

“We knew there was grave danger and there was potential for a real threat.”

He added: “Then a serious message came through. When the Prince was presented to the Welsh people outside the castle, a sniper was going to take a potshot at Prince Charles.

“We immediately moved into the Square, and we took steps to clear everybody from the balconies so we had any clear vantage point that may have been available.”

The title ‘Prince of Wales’ has been given to the heir to the throne for the best part of a millennium.

However, Wales has had a “love-hate” relationship with the crown.

Throughout the 1960s, Welsh nationalism was on the rise.

Some felt very strongly that the investiture of Prince Charles was an “imposition” on the country of an English-born prince.

The title ‘Prince of Wales’ has not been held by a Welsh-born royal since the 13th century.

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By 1969, the year of the investiture, Wales was deeply divided as the language was under threat and the old jobs were dying.

Earlier this year, the Royal Family had gathered at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Investiture of the Prince of Wales.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the Duchess of Cornwall attended.

Additionally, then Prime Minister Theresa May was present too.

Guests at the event honoured Prince Charles’s contribution to the national life of Wales over the decades.

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