King Charles celebrates 25 year of our Senedd

Celebrations take place to mark 25 years of devolution in Wales, as King Charles visits the Senedd.

Transcript

00:00It is a milestone honour journey which it has been my privilege all my life to share

00:09with you. During times which have seen great change, profound sorrow and tremendous achievement,

00:19through it all my respect and affection for the people of this ancient land have deepened

00:25with every passing year. Twenty-five years on and devolution has become an established

00:30part of the constitutional fabric of the United Kingdom. Here in Wales it has evolved considerably

00:38since those early days. At the opening of the second Assembly in 2003, her late Majesty

00:44Queen Elizabeth said, it is vital to the health both of the United Kingdom and of Wales that

00:52our democratic institutions flourish and adapt. From its initial steps back in 1999

01:00to the brisk walk that it started to undertake in the early noughties, to the sprint with

01:06the enhanced powers that it now has, it really has grown into a mature and developed Parliament

01:14that the people of Wales time and time again have indicated they want to see and are proud

01:20of. There is always the usual banter, there is always the usual dislike of the politicians,

01:27but ultimately this institution over the last 25 years has endeared itself to the fabric

01:35and the make-up of Wales. So it is with countless special memories and particular pride that

01:43I am able to join you as we reflect upon the last quarter century of the history we

01:50have shared and which you, in your work in this Senedd, have the great responsibility

01:58of making.