Step back in time for the visit of a royal princess

An old news reel from 1962 has been found by the owners of Plas Dinas Country House in Snowdonia, showing Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret on an official visit there when she visited nearby Caernarfon.

The royal visit to Plas Dinas in 1962

It’s a treasured find for Andy and Julian Banner-Price as Plas Dinas was formerly the country home of the Armstrong-Jones family. Princess Margaret married Anthony Armstrong-Jones in 1961 (they took the titles the Earl and Countess of Snowdon).

You can see the press photo from that day in the Drawing Room at the hotel and the engraved spade she used to plant a tree is displayed in the Gun Room. All her other visits to Plas Dinas were personal and so not documented.

Plas Dinas

Armstrong-Jones was appointed as Constable of Caernarfon in 1963 and, when the young Prince Charles became Prince of Wales, Armstrong-Jones was largely responsible for organising the prince’s Investiture Ceremony in Caernarfon Castle. Princess Margaret spent a considerable amount of time at Plas Dinas during this
period.

Plas Dinas, now a charming four-star country house hotel, dates back to the 17th century, with Victorian additions, and sits in the beautiful Snowdonia countryside in north west Wales.

The drawing room

The Royal Visit news reel is now available for everyone to see on the British Pathe website