King Charles and Queen Camilla to officially open Senedd as poet dropped from ceremony

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It will be the first time the monarch will have visited the Welsh Parliament since 2024, and the first official meeting with Rhun ap Iorwerth since he became Wales' first minister.

The visit comes as it emerged Wales' national poet would not be taking part in ceremony as planned, after Senedd officials rejected the poem she had written for the event.

King Charles will give a speech to the Senedd before meeting a number of invited guests, including 10-year-old Noah Jones, whose great-grandfather survived the 1966 Aberfan coal tip disaster.

Elizabeth II had opened every previous session of the Senedd before her death four years ago, her last one being 2021 when she had been joined by the current King and Queen.

Briefings to the media about the event said a poetry reading would be made by the National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa, at the ceremony.

On Wednesday, Issa posted to Instagram saying the poem she submitted, To Grow, was rejected on the grounds that the ceremony was "apolitical".

Among other issues, the poem referred to Gaza and trans healthcare. She said a second version that used "more abstract language" was also rejected.

Issa said she had been given a brief to "celebrate" Members of the Senedd (MSs) and their "achievements in being elected, while serving as a reminder of their commitment to the people of Wales".

She told BBC Wales: "I'm disappointed more than anything. This is the chamber where political discussion is had, and this very much says that political discussion framed as a poem is not welcome."

The Senedd commission said: "After a development process, we concluded that the poem was not the right fit for this occasion."

It added: "We respect the National Poet of Wales' artistic independence and continue to admire and value their work."

The Senedd building was officially opened in 2006 by the late queen – who had also opened every previous Welsh Parliament and Welsh assembly term since 1999The first minister will be among those greeting the King on the Senedd steps on Thursday, together with the presiding officer Huw Irranca-Davies and the Labour Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock, who will represent the UK government.

The meeting with the leader of Plaid Cymru – a pro-independence party rooted in a strong republican tradition – will mark a significant and symbolic moment after its first election victory in May.

Ap Iorwerth's Plaid Cymru took control of the Welsh government following May's Senedd election, replacing Labour who had led every previous government since devolution in 1999.

The Plaid leader told an interview with Politics Home last year that he did not believe in "kings and princes", but said the issue was not a "political priority for him".

He said he appreciated the monarchy remained "important" to many in Wales, but said there was a "clear argument to be made that the Prince of Wales title should be consigned to the history books".

When he was younger the first minister was a member of a band called 69 – a reference to the controversial investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales in Caernarfon Castle.

Ap Iorwerth is taking a full part in Thursday's ceremony, and is expected to give his own speech after the King addresses the Senedd.

All Plaid Cymru Members of the Senedd (MSs) are expected to attend.

That has not always been the case. In 2011, four Plaid Cymru MSs stayed away, including Leanne Wood, before she became party leader the next year.

The King will also be greeted by the Senedd's opposition leaders from Reform, Labour, the Conservatives, the Greens and the Liberal Democrats.

The King and Queen will be welcomed to the Senedd by pupils from Llwynypia Primary School, Tonypandy, and Albany Primary School, Cardiff.

Held after an election takes place, the opening ceremony formally marks a new Senedd term.

The head of state attends in recognition of the Senedd's role in Welsh public life.

The late queen opened the first National Assembly for Wales – the previous incarnation of the Senedd – in 1999, and every post-election session until 2022.

The mace is a ceremonial staff used at formal parliamentary events.

It was gifted by the Australian New South Wales parliament for the building's opening in 2006, handcrafted from gold, silver and brass.

The Senedd building is 20 years old this year, having opened its doors in 2006. It expanded from 60 to 96 members at the May election.