Get this... The sphere on Prince Charles' investiture coronet is actually a gold-plated PING PONG ball (pizzagatewhatever)

submitted ago by letsdothis3

In today's Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6772677/Kate-Meghan-reunite-time-Christmas-Queens-party.html#comments

The gold coronet, placed on Prince Charles's head at Caernarfon Castle by his mother in 1969, will be displayed at the celebration attended by all senior members of the royal family today.

But the coronet, designed by celebrated goldsmith Louis Osman, hides an astonishing secret which makes it rather unique among the monarch's crown jewels.

The orb in its centre is actually made from a ping pong ball.

Now, for the first time, David Mason, a 74-year-old retired chemical research manager from Warwickshire who made the striking gold circlet, tells the true story of the so-called 'imposter coronet' – including how the original design was smashed with just days to go, forcing him to drive with a hastily made replacement in the back of his unguarded Mini van.

Mr Mason was just 28 when he received a call in March 1969 from Mr Osman at his office at Engelhard Industries in Cinderford, then the world's largest refiner of precious metals.

He wanted to discuss a revolutionary new field Mr Mason was working in - gold electroforming - and revealed he had been asked to produce a headpiece for Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales.

Game of wiff waff? Prince Charles receives the crown from the Queen during his investiture as the Prince of Wales at Caernarvon Castle back in 1969 https://imgur.com/a/m81v5rL

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letsdothis3 ago

Other ping pong stories royal family related:

Harry the court jester: Prince takes on Kiwi kids at scissors, paper, rock and ping pong during a school visit... then splats a photographer on the FOREHEAD with purple paint

There was beer pong at Harry and Meghan’s wedding reception

2015 article : https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3224582/The-historic-news-stories-Queen-1960s.html

The original plan of a solid lump of gold was ruled out because it would be too heavy. ‘The Prince would have been bowed down by the weight,’ said engineer David Mason, who hit on the ping pong idea while watching a table tennis tournament on TV just ten days before the Investiture. He was commissioned to come up with a solution by Lord Snowdon, Princess Margaret’s husband, who organised the ceremony.

Snowdon’s original plan had been for Charles to wear a simple gold band like the actor Laurence Olivier in Henry V, rather than the 3lb coronet designed by the Garter King of Arms he actually wore.