Snowdonia Gold Is Fit For A King

Since 1911, Welsh gold has been used to decorate the crowns and hands of the British Royal family. At the investiture of Edward 1 as Prince of Wales, his coronet, rod, ring, sword and robe all incorporated pure Welsh gold from North Wales.

In 1923, the late Queen mother started another tradition by having her wedding bands crafted out of Welsh gold from the The Clogau Gold Mine in Bontddu. Some 88 years later, this tradition continues and this small village situated between Barmouth and Dolgellau in Snowdonia has been providing the gold for Royal wedding rings since including; Queen Elizabeth (1947), Princess Anne (1973), Princess Diana (1981), Prince Charles (1981 & 2005) and Camilla. More recently in 2011, from an ingot of gold given to the Queen on her 60th birthday from the Clogau mine, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding bands were made……you see Snowdonia gold is fit for a King!

Sadly the gold mines are now closed both for excavating and to the public, but its a great little piece of Snowdonian history that makes this area so interesting……on that note did you also know that during the war, to prevent them getting destroyed, the paintings from the National Gallery in London were hidden underground in a disused slate mine in Snowdonia…..