Housing, employment and the state of tourism in Bermuda were subjects of discussion in 1970 when the Prince of Wales marked the 350th anniversary of Parliament.

That October the Prince, who is now King Charles III, visited the island to read the Throne Speech in a ceremony at St Peter’s Church in St George’s to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

According to copies of the address given to attendees on October 21 that year, the Prince said he was honoured to open the parliamentary session at the same site where the first meeting was held in 1620.

He said: “Since that time, great changes have occurred in Parliament and in these islands, but unchanged is loyalty to the Crown.

“Nearly 200 years ago, a former governor expressed the view that the people of Bermuda may be ‘divided on their domestic business but are united in their loyalty’.

“As in any free society, I am sure that the first of these sentiments remains true today, and I have received many assurances of continued loyalty to the Crown.”

Housing and employment were among the key issues mentioned in the 1970 Throne Speech, with the Prince stating: “My government continues to be concerned about the need to reserve housing, land and job opportunities for future generations of Bermudians.

“The present policy to control the sale of land to non-Bermudians will therefore be reviewed in the coming months and effective immigration control to ensure that Bermudians are given priority in employment will be continued.”

The Prince said that after the completion of a number of “experimental houses”, a total of 152 three and four-bedroom homes would be built by the Government — led then by Sir Henry Tucker — along with 42 single-bedroom apartments.

The Throne Speech, which is read on behalf of the Government, also stated that the administration would continue a policy of limiting hotel development and consider “further reductions” in the number of cruise ships that can be in port at a time.

Attendees heard: “The tourist industry continues to expand and make a major contribution to the economy, but must be controlled so that it does not continue to outstrip our ability to provide public service.

“For the present, therefore, no requests for new or significant additional hotel construction after 1975 will be considered before July of next year.”

The Throne Speech also included mention of the addition of a geriatric wing at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital to replace the Prospect Hospital, while a survey of the needs of the elderly would continue.

Although the three-day visit was uneventful, the island’s simmering social unrest at the time sparked security concerns and a bodyguard of Royal Marines was dispatched to Bermuda to provide additional protection while the Prince stayed at Government House.

The 1970 Bermuda Report, published for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1971, also noted the royal visit.

It said: “The visit of the Prince of Wales took place between October 20 to 22 and the shortness of his stay necessitated a busy schedule and almost split-second timing to ensure that the programme ran smoothly.

“Happily, the weather co-operated and the Prince received a warm Bermuda welcome wherever he went.”

After his delivery of the Throne Speech, the report said that the Prince took a tour of the island in a “special open car” and attended the Speaker’s Dinner, where he was the principle speaker.

The report added: “Fears that there might be some form of demonstration during the visit proved groundless.

“The opposition Progressive Labour Party boycotted all events connected with the royal visit.”