Take a Royal seat: Investiture chair set to go under hammer

IF you’re a fan of royal history and furniture design, you might recognise the stylish chair that’s been consigned here in Plymouth as one of the ‘Red Chairs’ from the Prince of Wales’ Investiture.

These chairs were created specifically for the event, held at the Medieval Caernarfon Castle in July 1969. Millions watched the ceremony on television as the 20-year-old Prince Charles received his insignia from Queen Elizabeth II, conferring upon him his new title as Prince of Wales.

Lord Snowdon, the Prince’s uncle, and Constable of the castle, was in charge of designing the setting and furniture of the investiture along with Carl Toms and John Pound. The design for the chair itself, in bright vermillion red, was part of a theatrical look for the entire event. All 4,600 chairs produced for the ceremony were assembled at Remploy, an organisation which employed a disabled workforce.

The chairs have beech wood frames with seats and backs constructed from preformed plywood, veneered in olive ash and stained in vermillion red. The backs are embossed with the Prince of Wales’ feathers in gold leaf and the original seats are upholstered in red Welsh tweed, using a stable dye that would not run onto the guest’s clothes in case of a Welsh downpour.

The underside of the seat bears a PoWs’ feathers stamp, the date and – obscured by the upholstery – individual numbering.

If you’re keen to own a piece of Royal history, mark your calendars for the silver, jewellery and antiques auction on Tuesday, April 30 at 10.30am, where this chair will be offered for sale at Plymouth Auction Rooms.

For more details, please head to plymouthauctions.co.uk or call the saleroom on 01752 254740.

One of the ‘Red Chairs’ from the Prince of Wales’ Investiture in 1969 is up for auction at Plymouth Auction Rooms (Inset) Prince Charles kneels before the late Queen Elizabeth as she crowns him the Prince of Wales

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