Online petition against it. Recent polling suggests that a majority support keeping the monarchy in wales. I want to examine the nations relationship with the prince. So ive come on a trip through wales, through the past five decades, in this 50 year old motor to find out what marquee has left on the country. A lot has changed since the country. A lot has changed since the prince was crowned. In fact, the story stretches back even further. I hereby declare this festival open. Charles was nine years old and already heir to the throne when an announcement was made to the empire games in cardiff. Is a cliche, but i was there. I was 25 years old, working for the bbc. Then, of course, we had a recorded announcement, because the queen wasnt there. I intend to make my son of the prince of wales today. Wasnt there. I intend to make my son of the prince of wales todaym went crazy, on and on. One teenage boy heard the news at cardiff train station. The announcement came on the roof went off. We were full of it. What a way to start a holiday, knowing we would have a prince of wales. It once again has its own prince. I was mortally embarrassed. The trouble is, i was planted in front of the television at the school i was in with all the other boys. It was very embarrassing. It wasnt a question of saying yippee, you are becoming the prince of wales. The announcement had another young mind thinking, how did he feel about the monarchy . young mind thinking, how did he feel about the monarchy . I was 15 at the time. We didnt think they were important to us. Thats when it started, in my mind. What has this got to do with wales today . In the valleys of south wales, a young girl who would later help to develop a new history curriculum for schools heard the news. This was before any real growth in welsh nationalism. It wasnt a sense of being two camps, it was not provided. 11 years later, the atmosphere was very different. There was widespread public support for the investiture. But welsh nationalism was also on the rise. And the government had decided to crown Prince Charles at a grand investiture decided to crown Prince Charles at a grand investitu re ceremony. Decided to crown Prince Charles at a grand Investiture Ceremony. They decided to do it here, in the castle built by the english king, edward the first, who killed the last native prince to rural wales in the 13th century. The songs were to become anthems for the protest. The 60s was a period of great change. And next to all the turmoil came investitu re, and next to all the turmoil came investiture, from nowhere. The demonstrators gathered underneath the castle for the investiture. We will have this big ceremony and bring us together as a Big Happy Family again. That is the way we saw it. We couldnt forget the way the title had been taken from us, as it were, and given to the heir to the english throne. The prince put on a big brave face. He was sent to learn welsh at the university. He wasjust a kid, and he looked so embarrassed. He was required to do it as part of his role as prince of wales and remind people it didnt convince everyone at the 1969 synod. I have never forgotten how at a time it was endless back biting criticism, cynicism and everything else. There was always that uncertainty as to what was going to happen. And something did happen. The night before the investiture, two bombers from an extreme nationalist group were killed when a device went off. The investiture was to be a massive event for wales and for the monarchy. There was a lot riding on it. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife. Former bbc reporter brian howie is now a royal biographer. The Television Coverage was seen by 500 Million People throughout the world. I. Million people throughout the world. I, charles, prince of wales, do become your liege man of life and limb. The investiture seems to focus a spotlight on the monarchy, and of course it focused one on wales throughout the world. Prince charles didnt enjoy what he was doing. |j wonder whether there will be a repeat performance by future princess of wales. I think it did polarise opinion, people felt more conscious of the alien nature of the monarchy in wales, while others felt more drawn to the sense of belonging to the monarchy and its representative in wales, the prince of wales, because of the investitu re. There lies the risk, according to professor laura mcallister. Raising Public Awareness about an issue makes opinion stronger. Its a great case of an issue such as attitudes to the monarchy suddenly being thrust on everybodys faces in the form of a big, symbolic ceremony occasional. Then people having to make up their minds if they thought this was good or bad. I think theres been a real shift in public mood towards authority. We are far less deferential now. We dont believe that we should respect Authority Just because believe that we should respect authorityjust because it is in a position of authority and power. But did the prince of wales move with changing times . Im going to find out what he did over the next five decades. In the 1970s, Prince Charles started speaking out about things he thought mattered in wales. He wasnt the first prince to do so. An earlier prince of wales, edward viii, is often quoted as saying that something must be done when confronted by poverty in the welsh valleys in the 1930s depression. So what has this prince done to help disadvantaged communities here . One of the main aims of my committee has always been to give help and encouragement to those dedicated groups of volunteers and enthusiasts who want to work on practical projects for improving their environment. In 1970, he became chair of the welsh countryside committee. The committee succeeded in generating such enthusiasm in one member that he rushed off and organised volunteers into tidying up the top of a small mountain in flintshire, while i contributed by hobbling up Mount Snowdon only to find a fairly hideous mess at the summit. The cafe has since been replaced. The princes innovative campaigns to protect the environment continued. When you think that each person produces roughly 2le of rubbish per day using non returnable bottles and indestructible plastic containers, it is not difficult to imagine the mountains of refuse that we shall have to deal with somehow. The prince then went to serve in the armed forces. Will your Service Commitments mean we will see rather less of you in wales . Inevitably, yes, unless i can get sent to swansea in 1976, the prince of wales used his naval pension to start the princes trust, which today supports 3,000 young people in wales with employment, skills and business opportunities. In 1981, the royal wedding. Wales took diana its heart. They thought she was splendid. And sir norman helped organise many of dianas visits here, too. When the two of them arrived, and they would go on either side of the road, there was always a great shout from the side where the princess went, which i think Prince Charles found a little bit disconcerting, that she was infinitely more popular. Did diana overshadow charles . Always, every day, every moment of every day. When there were two of them in a room, it was only her at any time that anybody wanted to see. Nobody wanted to know about charles, nobody at all, unfortunately for him, because hes a well intentioned, well meaning person. He really is. But she was a star. The young prince looked a little nervous, but obviously enjoyed the atmosphere at llandaff cathedral in cardiff, the First Destination of his first visit to wales. St davids day 1991, and the introduction of charles and dianas eight year old son william. Outside later, there was a real party atmosphere, and to the delight of the crowds, the young prince took centre stage to officially unveil cardiffs new logo. To less fanfare, Prince Charles continued his work with 42 charities and organisations in wales. What i have tried to do is work through these different organisations that i have set up to act as a catalyst and bring people together from a whole range of walks of life and agencies and organisations. But has charless work can proceed with the same enthusiasm as edward viii . Theres no point rushing round and saying something must be done. I have just gone and done it. Saying something must be done. I havejust gone and done it. People just havent bothered to find out about it. The prince started expressing his views personally to people of influence and power. This is an example of one of the periodic letters i had from Prince Charles. I used to get regular letters, as did other cabinet ministers, from the prince of wales, written in his own hand, but his views tended more to come out, notjust in his letters, but also in one to one conversations. He writes personally to politicians and attempts to influence them personally. He is not meant to do that. Constitutionally, he should be neutral. Some people are concerned about an exertion of soft power, because of the position there is the influence, the ear of people who can make changes, people who are in authority, other people wouldnt have access to people like you. The prince of wales and the future king is not the average citizen, he is in a unique position. I dont understand the proposition that he shouldnt have an opinion or express it. Hes very careful about expressing his opinions. Hes forceful in private, but very rarely in public. One occasion where the prince intervened very publicly was when he ate beef carved from the bone at a time when it was banned because of fears about bse. The welsh secretary, who ate it too, was later said not to have known it was cooked that way. The worry would be that when he becomes king, he wont be able to voice his personal opinions quite so clearly. Do you think that will be difficult for him . I think it will be. I think hell be biting his tongue quite a bit. The late 90s were among the princes most difficult years. Charles divorced in 1996, and in 97, diana was killed in a car crash. Wales mourned. A simple memorial of candles and flowers in a swansea market, an expression of how much the princess had meant to wales. Dianas memory lives on in this portrait in cardiff city hall. After she died, i was sent here, and saw lines of people as far as the eye could see who had come to sign her book of condolence. I had never known anything like it. Nobody else had. I mean, it really was quite extraordinary, the amount of mourning, the amount of grief there was, and of course, there was also a huge amount of anger directed specifically at Prince Charles, and generally against the royal family. Did the publics anger against charles, though, take longer to disappear . Im not saying that people have forgiven him, but probably, attitudes have softened. The royal family realised something had to be done to improve public understanding of the role of the prince in wales, and the turn of the century saw a big shift in the way they do business here. The biggest change came when the prince bought his first home in wales. Im now in muddfai in west wales and this is where the prince has set up home. Im thrilled to be able have somewhere at last in wales that i can come to, 40 years too late. We are delighted that you have chosen this beautiful and historic area for your home in wales. The princes home, llynywermod, is owned by the duchy of cornwall, the heir to the thrones estate, which funds his official duties in wales. As with other prominent figures, his security is paid for by the public purse. This isnt a grand palace in a capital city, but an organic farm in carmarthenshire. And very much in keeping with the princes passions, llynywermod was restored using local materials and traditional methods. The point is to enable people to rediscover the value of these natural materials and how marvellous they are to work with and actually they are more sustainable which is the point. All sorts of organisations have suddenly begun to understand the importance and the point behind what they are doing here with these sorts of materials. Alanjones put a thatched roof on the princes barn at llwnywermod. He also works with the Princes Foundation, to pass on traditional skills. Its a wonderful opportunity for students to get involved with heritage crafts. We get students to go on work placements and they actually get to work with people who have been doing it for years and transfer the skills. Theres a massive demand to look after our built environment. But it is notjust for old homes. The Princes Foundation helps build whole new sustainable communities. Ive come to llandarcy, near neath and the site of an Old Oil Refinery that is being transformed into a new village. Its a project that is very close to the princes heart called coed darcy and its fair to say its one of his most ambitious projects anywhere in the uk. The Princes Foundation is advising the developers here how to create 4,000 homes, shops, schools and businesses, all within walking distance of each other, and using local supply chains to cut carbon emissions. Small changes in Construction Material can produce a big effect. Simple, regionally produced materials which can be assembled on site support localjobs, Regional Industry and help achieve greater carbon reduction. This is better both for the environment and for local economies. The prince has used his base in wales to promote his other interests in Sustainable Food production and complementary medicine. He is also patron to music and the arts in wales and the royal harpist a post he created plays at receptions at llwynywermod. I think the areas that the prince of wales has concentrated on may not seem to be, as it were, mainstream issues at the top of the political agenda to a lot of people, but areas that he thinks he can make a bit of a difference on. And areas where either he shouldnt, or he couldnt, because theyre the proper province of, of contemporary political argument, controversy, governmental sensitivity, he doesnt tend to get involved in those areas, in any sense in public. But does dafydd iwan, who opposed the investiture, think the prince has made a difference in the past five decades . They are succeeding, i think, to normalise the royal family as a family of acceptable celebs who have normal interests. That doesntjustify his position as prince of wales. But i think he has done some excellent work through the princes trust. Theres no point in painting him as an evil character. I mean, hes done the best of a bad job, it has cost us a lot of money. But i think hes contributed, yes. Charles is now the longest serving heir to the throne ever. But after all this time he still faces some opposition. When the prince of wales bridge was renamed after him, 38,000 people signed an online petition saying the honour should be given instead to someone who has done something for wales. This is a spontaneous demonstration which came about from a message on facebook. Now, of course, we have social media, its very easy to gather peoples voices together and build up some kind of momentum for or against anything. And i think we also are in a slightly different environment now where people are less deferential to authority, and particularly towards royalty, where they feel there are inequalities being reflected and privilege being reflected at a time when a lot of people are struggling to make ends meet. That could easily come to a head in a discussion around the next prince of wales and any attempt at organizing a ceremonial event with pomp and ceremony, such as an investiture. A royal source has said that they do expect there to be another prince of wales. A recent bbc poll suggested half definitely want one. If charles becomes king, william will become heir to the throne and, if his father agrees, prince of wales. So, what has been done to prepare william for the role . As a young man, he lived on anglesey for three years, working as a search and rescue pilot. If Prince William does become prince of wales, what sort of a prince of wales do you think hell be . I think hell have a Greater Knowledge initially than his father, because of the time he spent in anglesey, in raf valley, you know, going shopping to the supermarket, and meeting local people on a totally informal basis, will have given him a greater insight into how welsh people operate and surely he will do a splendid job. People who follow the royals believe william will bring a new approach to the position, were it to be granted to him. The role of prince of wales has to be redefined because it has to appeal to the younger generation, they generally have an air of less deference, and less reverence to everybody, including royalty. Thats no bad thing. So, the groundwork has been laid for the creation of another prince of wales. But what about another Investiture Ceremony . I just dont know whether the young people think the same way as one did in those days of going for pomp and circumstance, to think about it, pomp and circumstance is what we are all about. To mark the 50th anniversary of the investiture of Prince Charles, the queen held a reception at Buckingham Palace in march. And the prince will be in wales this week. But there are no street parties planned in caernarfon to mark the occasion. Currently, no one in authority wants to talk publicly at least about a future investiture. But in the same poll for the bbc, a1 suggested there should be another royal occasion like the last one and 20 want a different type of ceremony. Im not in charge of the monarchy myself but my reading of it is that the authorities involved want to remodel the royal family as something which is nice and cosy and friendly and brings people together. So, i think holding another investiture, for instance, would create so much furore on the social media. I dont think they would risk another furore over an Investiture Ceremony. But i might be wrong. There are some who will object to everything to do with the royals, you know, given the chance, theyll say im agin it. If there was a decision to hold an investiture for Prince William, i would be incredibly surprised if this didnt improve to be a very, very divisive and significant moment in the political history of wales. Ive come to the end of myjourney, exploring waless relationship with charles, and his work as prince of wales. During those 50 years, he has changed and so has wales. His work here is recognised, but not by everyone. How a future prince is created and how he conducts his role in future will be hugely significant but on this anniversary, only very few people really know. In todays uncertain political climate, this debate could run and run, and no one can predict precisely where, when or how it will end. Good morning. There is a lot of dry and sunny weather across the uk today. But some areas are struggling with thick cloud, as we speak. Here is hastings and you can see quite grey skies and a little bit of drizzle around as well. That is the picture along much of the south coast, thanks to the tail end of a weather front which, on the northern flank, stretches back to the north of london. Much brighter skies as we look further north still. Quite a bit of cloud pushing into scotland on the north east of england on the northerly breeze. A a few showers out of that cloud are possible this afternoon for northern and eastern scotland, one or two or sharper once across the pennines. A northerly breeze is quite nagging as well. A rather cool feel across northern scotla nd rather cool feel across northern scotland and the north east of england. To the south, a fresher affair than yesterday. Highs of 26 yesterday in hampshire. Today, we are looking at 22 in cardiff, where Richard Bright next few hours. Also brighterfor the Richard Bright next few hours. Also brighter for the south east through the afternoon, a bit more cloud will feed and the west of wales. Through the evening and overnight, the odd showerfor the evening and overnight, the odd shower for lincolnshire. The evening and overnight, the odd showerfor lincolnshire. Parts the evening and overnight, the odd shower for lincolnshire. Parts of east anglia. A dry night on the whole. Clear skies and quite chilly in some rural spots in scotland. In the glens, down to two three degrees. May be a patchy grass frost here first thing. Monday dawned bright and clear for the here first thing. Monday dawned bright and clearfor the majority. There will be more sunshine to come. More widespread, if anything, than today. Our exception for tomorrow will be northern ireland, where a warm weather front. To will be northern ireland, where a warm weatherfront. To bring in the cloud through the morning train arrives the afternoon. Grab the umbrella on the way out from work, you will need it for the evening rush hour. Top temperatures, 17 in aberdeen, up to 2a in cardiff. Looking at a fine day for wimbledon with some sunny spells and 2122 degrees courtside should feel pretty co mforta ble. Degrees courtside should feel pretty comfortable. For much of the second week of the championships, i think week of the championships, i think we will see uninterrupted play. Certainly through tuesday and wednesday, as the weather front that is pushing to our high stays to the north of the uk. Later on in the week, things could get a distinctly more lively feel. Here is a glance ahead to tuesday. Take a cloud pushing across the uk. Rain confined mostly to northern ireland, scotland and northern england, where we could have the odd heavier burst. Again, fairly average looking temperatures. And then we get to the remainder of the week. From wednesday onwards, looking unsettled. Thursday, across the northern half of the uk. Elsewhere we could see the odd punchy shower, just about anywhere. Forfinals punchy shower, just about anywhere. For finals weekend and anything else you are doing this weekend, it looks pretty quiet once again as High Pressure builds in for the northern half of the uk. Elsewhere we could see the odd punchy shower. This is bbc news the headlines at 11 00am. Leaked emails from the British Ambassador to washington describe president Trumps Administration as inept, insecure and incompetent. Iran says it has breached another condition of its 2015 International Nuclear agreement. Protesters march in hong kong in another large demonstration against chinas increasing control over the territory, the plan is to be peaceful. The plan is, the organisers said at the beginning, to be elegant. But the police are ready, they re jittery, but they are ready if it turns for the worse. Greece is going to the polls to elect a new parliament, with opinion polls suggesting defeat for the left wing government. The Jodrell Bank Observatory in cheshire, which has been at the forefront of astronomical research, is declared a unesco World Heritage site
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