The Prince of Wales recalled how he and his wife made Wales their ‘home’ as newlyweds and said he was ‘honoured’ to champion the ‘dynamic nation’ it is today.
Addressing an audience that included chancellor Rachel Reeves at the Wales Investment Summit on Monday, he said: ‘Wales was the first place Catherine and I made our home together – on the island of Anglesey.
‘When you make a home in Wales, you join a family of three million people, and the sense of warmth and belonging is what makes Wales unlike anywhere else.
‘I am pleased to be continuing the work of my father, the King who over half a century ago, personally encouraged the co-founder of Sony to open its first European factory here in Wales.’
Prince William, 43, told investors that Wales was an ideal location for ‘cutting-edge technology, research, innovation and a skilled workforce’.
Speaking in front of 300 delegates from 25 countries who were attending the one-day summit at the International Convention Centre in Newport, William said: ‘I believe that we have reached a significant moment for Welsh investment.
‘An opportunity defined not by the challenges we collectively face, but by extraordinary possibility.
‘One of Wales’s greatest strengths is the way industry, academia, and government work together.
‘Not in isolation, but as part of a single, connected community. It is collaboration at its very best. Practical, purposeful, and grounded in trust.’
He went on to say: ‘Wales is a place where cutting edge technology, research, innovation and a skilled workforce come together in a single, coherent ecosystem across many different industries.
‘It is my honour to play my part in championing the dynamic nation Wales is today as we look to the future.’
Reeves watched the speech and left the auditorium after the Prince but did not join him afterwards.
He spoke to business leaders about their products, saying that Wales could become a ‘test bed’ for new ideas.
The Welsh business showcase is said to be the most significant event hosted by Wales since the 2014 Nato summit with 250 companies due to attend, 150 of which are new investors to Wales.
Arriving at the conference centre, William was greeted by Eluned Morgan, First Minister of Wales, and was introduced to Andrew Goodall, permanent secretary for Wales, and Sir Terry Matthews, a Welsh businessman.
William visited stands promoting innovative and environmental businesses in Wales, including Mark Williams from Limb Art.
Williams, 53, told the prince how his company was inspired by his own story which began when he lost his left leg after being hit by a car while riding his bike as a child on 21 June 1982.
Williams, a former Team GB Paralympic swimmer, said: ‘He said that’s my birthday and I said ‘I know’. They rushed me into Glan Clwyd hospital in North Wales. And the surgeon came out to speak to my parents that evening and said he had some good news and some bad news.
‘The good news is; King Charles and Prince Diana, have just had a baby boy, which was Prince William. And the bad news is we can’t save Mark’s leg.’
His Limb Art business developed almost accidentally after he made a cast for himself – a replica of his ‘good leg’ – and posted about it on social media. Soon afterwards he was inundated with requests from to make them for others..
It became so successful he left his job to focus on his business and he now makes them for children as young as four, designing them to make the wearer feel more confident in public.
Looking at a display of his work, including one featuring his father’s face which was created to mark the King’s 2023 coronation, the prince said that they just looked like any other ‘crazy socks’.
At first the prince picked up one with a Welsh dragon pattern rather than the version featuring his father’s face.
Mark Williams said: ‘I think he was like a little bit of, I’m not quite sure how I have to deal with this one that’s a picture of my dad on it!’
William also looked at an eco underfloor heating system called Haydale that he activated with his hand print and viewed a fully electric version of the classic Morris van, which will hit the production lines at St Athan in Wales next year, creating an estimated 150 jobs.
Lifting a surprisingly light carbon fibre door panel for the van, William said ‘goodness.’
Before joining the summit, the prince visited KLA, an international semiconductor company based in Newport, South Wales, where he’ll view their new site.
It is Prince William’s second visit to Wales in as many weeks. Last week he went to North Wales to visit a marine conservation group and hear how young people were overcoming mental health challenges at the Youth Shedz project.
William and Kate lived in Anglesey from 2010 to 2013 when he was stationed at RAF Valley while serving as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.
Before addressing the Wales Investment Summit, the Prince of Wales had visited the newly opened facility of international semiconductor company KLA in Newport, Gwent. SPTS, a division of KLA, has operated in Newport for more than 40 years, with the South Wales city being home to its research and development and manufacturing arm.
William was shown around the building by senior director Andrew Evans who explained how staff produce wafers and chips for some of the world’s leading semiconductor and microelectronic device manufacturers.
The prince viewed the manufacturing and research and development areas, as well as a demonstration lab. He also met representatives from KLA’s local supply chain and spoke with apprentices and graduates employed by the company.
