Secret squad kept Prince of Wales safe from the Welsh

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.’