Honours of the Principality of Wales
The Honours of the Principality of Wales are the Crown Jewels used at the investiture of Princes of Wales. They include a coronet, a ring, a rod, a sword, a girdle, and a mantle.[1]
The base of the Coronet is of the same design as those of the Imperial State Crown and St Edward's Crown. It is made up of four crosses pattee alternating with four fleurs-de-lis. While the Sovereign's crowns have four half arches, the coronet only includes two half arches. The arches are surmounted by a ball, on top of which is a cross. Within the frame, which is made of gold, is a velvet cap lined with ermine fur. The present coronet was made for the investiture of Charles in 1969, as the 1911 coronet was still in the possession of the Duke of Windsor. Previous coronets are also retained in the collection.[1]
The remaining regalia date from the investiture of Edward, later Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor, in 1911, when most of the elements of the Honours were redesigned.[1]
The original Coronets as worn by the Welsh rulers of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and other Welsh principalities are all lost. Llywelyn's coronet was seized by the English state in 1284 and is known to history. The fates of the Coronets of the rulers of the other princely states, if they ever had them, are not known.
