The Investiture of the Prince of Wales - when Prince Charles was formally presented to the Welsh people as their Prince - was broadcast live on 1 July 1969.
The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ brought all the pomp and pageantry to viewers and listeners in one of the biggest and most complex outside broadcasts since the Coronation. In the ceremony at Caernarfon Castle the Queen gave Charles the symbols that marked him as Prince of Wales; the sword, coronet, ring, rod and mantle. In addition to the 4000 guests present in the castle, 19 million saw it at home and another 500 million watched around the world.
Television coverage of the Investiture began on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ One at 10:30am and continued until 4:30pm. At the same time it was broadcast in colour on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Two. The Investiture was a great demonstration of the benefits of the new medium and the number of colour sets in use doubled during the year. There was bilingual commentary on Radio 4 Wales with the main radio broadcast on Radio 3.
The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ remains the first broadcaster audiences turn to for major national events, particularly those involving the Royal Family. The events surrounding the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 saw extensive coverage as did – more recently - the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Further reading
- 
              MCR21 comes back to lifeCharles Runcie tells the story of how an outside broadcast van used at the Investiture was saved from the scrapyard.
July anniversaries
- 
              Investiture of the Prince of Wales1 July 1969
- 
              Masterchef2 July 1990
- 
              ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Television News and Newsreel5 July 1954
- 
              To the Ends of the Earth6 July 2005
- 
              Hancock's Half Hour television show6 July 1956
- 
              London Calling Europe began6 July 1941
- 
              The Old Man of Hoy8 July 1967
- 
              The first episode of The Office9 July 2001
- 
              Andy Pandy11 July 1950
- 
              It's That Man Again12 July 1939
- 
              Watchdog14 July 1985
- 
              What's My Line16 July 1951
- 
              Toytown first transmitted19 July 1929
- 
              Pot Black first transmitted23 July 1969
- 
              Countryfile first broadcast24 July 1988
- 
              Start of the Light Programme29 July 1945
- 
              Olympic Games from Wembley first televised29 July 1948
- 
              The Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer29 July 1981
- 
              The World Cup Final30 July 1966
- 
              Dad's Army31 July 1968
 
                     
                             
                            