In 1911 the Welsh painter Christopher Williams received a commission from King George V to paint the Investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales (1894-1972), later King Edward VIII. The ceremony took place on 13th July and Williams records in his memoirs that …"The day was gloriously fine… I looked on and watched carefully. When the King put the crown on the Princes' head I felt a hush and a sigh. That was the moment to be painted I thought. So I shot it [took a photograph]. Everything else I could paint from memory."

The painting in the Royal Collection offers a panoramic view of the occasion: inside the walls of Carnarvon Castle crowds stand to watch the Investiture taking place on a central green dais. Here, the Prince kneels, in a deep pink cloak, with his back to the viewer, to receive his crown from King George V. The inner walls of the castle, recently cleared of ivy, are decorated with coats of arms. A version of the painting hangs in Caernarfon Institute Building. This is a more enclosed view of the central group of figures with crowds beyond. One of the paintings was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1912 (no 383). Smaller studies, including a study of the Prince of Wales, were also made by Williams.

Williams is a significant figure in Welsh art. He was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Art. Following that he attended the Royal Academy Schools where he was taught by Royal Academicians such as John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) and George Clausen (1852-1944). Other notable works by Williams include 'The Welsh at Mametz Wood', 1920 and a portrait of Lloyd George (both National Museum of Wales).