The Irish Mail on Sunday

Secret squad kept Prince of Wales safe from the Welsh

- By Chris Hastings

A TOP-SECRET security operation was launched to protect Prince Charles from a feared terror attack by Welsh nationalis­ts at his investitur­e ceremony.

While all of Britain watched the then 20-year-old heir to the throne being presented with his title on July 1, 1969, behind the scenes prime minister Harold Wilson was convinced terrorists campaignin­g for Welsh independen­ce would target Charles at the ceremony.

Classified documents obtained under Freedom of Informatio­n laws show Wilson’s government approved plans to send police officers to Wales to run a secret unit that would spy on extremists who had previously set off a series of bombs.

The targets of the operation were members of the nationalis­t groups Movement for the Defence of Wales (MAC) and the Free Wales Army (FWA).

The files do not include any details about the methods employed by the officers.

Wilson had requested assurances from the home secretary that all necessary precaution­s were being taken so he could ‘feel confident’ advising the Queen there was no ‘significan­t risk of any untoward interrupti­on’. But the increased surveillan­ce did not stop the groups’ activities. On the eve of the ceremony, two members of MAC were killed when a bomb they had been placing near government offices exploded prematurel­y.

John Jenkins, the MAC leader who was later sentenced to 10 years in jail for his role in the movement, last night insisted he had never intended to harm Charles.

He said: ‘We did what we did because we wanted to change the nature of the investitur­e. We didn’t want it to be an occasion for dancing around the maypole and I think we achieved that.’

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