King Charles III has praised Welsh people's "sense of belonging", as he and Queen Camilla officially opened the Senedd's seventh term.
The visit marked the King's first official meeting with First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth following the election victory of Plaid Cymru – a party rooted in a strong republican tradition.
In his speech to the Senedd, with most of its 96 members in attendance including opposition parties Reform, Labour and the Tories, the King also expressed concern for the impact of climate change on the Welsh countryside.
About 30 protesters by the steps of the Senedd were vocal throughout the royal visit, and one was arrested on suspicion of breaching the Public Order Act.
Chants of "not my King" and "down, down, down with the crown" could be heard from protesters during the visit.
Wales' national poet did not take part in the ceremony as had been planned, after Senedd officials rejected the poem she had written for the event and cancelled her performance.
The King used his visit to the Senedd to say he would return to Wales next week to visit Aberfan, scene of the 1966 coal tip disaster, and met a survivor who had been pulled from the rubble aged six.
A 21-gun salute in Cardiff Bay marked the King's arrival in the city, and Plaid leader ap Iorwerth greeted the King on the Senedd steps, together with the Presiding Officer Huw Irranca-Davies and the Labour Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock, who represented the UK government.
Addressing the Senedd chamber, the King said he had "always felt immensely privileged and proud to have had such a special connection with Wales, with its language, its culture and its landscape for so much of my life".
"The character and identity of Wales have always been built from the strength of its places, and the relationships of trust, service and neighbourliness found within them – that distinctively Welsh idea of connection, the profound connection between place, people, culture and belonging," he said.
"As you take forward your task of government, we know you will bear always in mind, and draw inspiration from, those shared strengths, as you work on behalf of the people of this most special corner of the Earth."
The King then expressed concern about the impact of climate change, following a number of wildfires this summer that blighted parts of Wales.
He said: "No-one can have failed to have been struck by the way the very colours of our countryside changed during this summer's heatwaves.
"Nor could they have failed to be deeply concerned at what this means for our rapidly changing planet.
"I am sure we all share that most profound concern for the environment of this country entrusted to our care."
Ap Iorwerth said the ceremony marked a "new chapter" for national democracy and that it was a Senedd opening "unlike any that has gone before it".
The Senedd expanded to 96 members for May's elections, which represented a "significant moment in the continued evolution of Welsh democracy," said the first minister.
He said the parliament was "strengthened in its capacity to scrutinise" as a result of the change.
Buckingham Palace said the King also held an audience with the first minister at the nearby Millennium Centre.
Irranca-Davies said his message for new Senedd members, elected in May, was that the "institution is at its best when we recognise that disagreement need not mean division".
"We will disagree, we should disagree, vigorous debate is part of a healthy democracy," he said.
"But we should never lose sight of what brings every one of us here: a shared responsibility to serve the people of Wales," he added.
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 before the event had 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 To Grow, the poem they submitted, was rejected on the grounds that the ceremony was "apolitical".
Among other issues, the poem referred to Gaza and trans healthcare, and Issa said a second version that used "more abstract language" was also rejected.
Issa said she had received 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".
"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," Issa added.
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 King and Queen, along with the Prince of Wales, will return to south Wales next week to pay their respects at the Aberfan memorial garden exactly 60 years since the disaster.
The incident saw a junior school and surrounding houses in the village engulfed in coal slurry after a colliery spoil tip collapsed on 21 October 1966.
Gareth Jones, now 67, said he had joined Thursday's ceremony in the Senedd to show the King a photograph of his father meeting him and his sister on the day after the tragedy.
The meeting with the leader of Plaid Cymru – a pro-independence party rooted in a strong republican tradition – marked a significant and symbolic moment.
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".
What is an official opening of the Senedd?
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.
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