On 1 July this year, it will be 50 years since Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

Dim Croeso ‘69 – Resisting the Investiture, by Arfon author Arwel Vittle, explains what it was like to be part of the turmoil of that year in Wales, as he combines historical narrative with eyewitness accounts of protests and events, many of them never previously published.

The Urdd Eisteddfod in Aberystwyth in 1969 was the most controversial ever staged, which led to significant splits and divisions within the youth movement. After much controversy, the Urdd decided not to send representatives to the investiture ceremony itself at Caernarfon Castle, but Charles was invited to address the Eisteddfod crowd in Welsh.

The decision to invite Charles to the festival caused uproar and led to a storm of protest. A large demonstration was organised timed for the exact moment when Charles was to speak on the stage of the Urdd Eisteddfod.

As Charles appeared on stage, a group of protesters in the audience stood up, holding posters and chanting slogans: ‘Urdd has been betrayed’, ‘Who invited the Prince? Not the Eisteddfod Committee’.

The first group of protesters walked out of the entrance on one side of the stage, but moments later another group on the other side of the pavilion stood up and made the same protest before walking out.

The place was a bedlam of shouting and slow hand claps, and most of the audience were extremely angry with the protesters. Some middle-aged ladies present responded very fiercely and started to beat the protesters with their umbrellas!

Aberystwyth was central to the events of that year as Charles spent a period there being taught Welsh history and receiving Welsh lessons from his tutors Edward Millward and Bobi Jones. Several large protests were held by Welsh students across the campus, and the university buildings were occupied on several occasions, with students also fasting in protest.

See this week’s Cambrian News for the full feature, available in shops and as a digital edition now