The Queen and senior royals are to gather to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales.

Heir to the throne Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Princess Royal will attend the special reception hosted by the monarch at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday March 5.

The Prince of Wales
The Prince of Wales was invested with his title 50 years ago (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

Charles was created the Prince of Wales when he was only nine years old on July 26 1958.

He was formally invested with the title by the Queen 11 years later on July 1 1969 at Caernarfon Castle when he was 20.

Charles's investiture
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh with the Prince of Wales during his investiture at Caernarfon Castle (PA)

Leading figures in Welsh and UK public life will be present, as well as representatives from the future king’s many Welsh charities and patronages.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will also give a speech to mark the occasion.

The scene at Caernarfon Castle
The scene at Caernarfon Castle for the investiture of the Prince of Wales (PA)

Buckingham Palace said the special reception in London would mark the prince’s 50 years of service to Wales, the UK and the Commonwealth, and will be an opportunity to celebrate a range of Welsh charities, organisations and businesses.

The investiture regalia worn by Charles in 1969 will be on show, including the Investiture Coronet, Sword, Ring and Rod, as well as the Letters Patent for the creation of Charles, Duke of Cornwall as Prince of Wales in 1958.

The newly-invested Prince of Wales
The newly-invested Prince of Wales in 1969 (PA)

Among the charities present will be the Prince’s Trust Cymru, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and the BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales.

The reception will finish with a musical performance in the Ballroom by students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, of which Charles is patron.

The performance will include a new piece written for the anniversary by Welsh composer Paul Mealor, inspired by the legend of the Lady of Llyn y Fan, a mountain lake near Charles’s Welsh home, Llwynywermod in Carmarthenshire.

The investiture was televised and watched by an audience of 19 million people in the UK, and millions more worldwide.

Princess Margaret’s then husband the Earl of Snowdon was responsible for the design of the ceremony at the castle in north Wales.

Charles and the royals at the castle
Charles and the royals at the castle in north Wales (PA)

A fresh-faced Charles – who is now the longest-serving Prince of Wales and heir apparent – knelt before the Queen to receive the insignia of office and pledge allegiance.

While the prince was saluted by cheering crowds showing their loyalty and affection, he also faced hostility from Welsh extremists who attempted to mar the investiture with bomb attacks.

The day had started with news that two men had died in a gelignite explosion at Abergele, 15 miles from the castle. One of the men was tattooed on his chest and back with “Free Wales Army”.

Explosion in Abergele on investiture day
A police sergeant examines the hole at the point of the explosion at Abergele, Denbighshire, on the day of the investiture (PA)

Then a bomb blast at railway sidings rattled windows in the centre of Caernarfon 10 minutes after the arrival of the train carrying the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Charles and other members of the royal family.

A bomb in a suitcase, marked with the initials “FWA”, was later found on the road to Holyhead taken by the prince after the ceremony.

Then in the early hours of July 2, a soldier died when an explosion wrecked an Army van only yards from the castle.

Charles’s 50th anniversary – his golden jubilee as the Prince of Wales – will be very different to his silver jubilee in 1994.

The 25th anniversary of his investiture came in the midst of the War of the Waleses, and just days after the screening of the controversial television documentary in which Charles admitted he had been unfaithful to Diana, Princess of Wales after their marriage had broken down.