King Charles left shocked by rugby player's punch

King Charles has recently made a welcome return to public-facing duties after announcing his cancer diagnosis in February. This week he hosted guests at a Buckingham Palace garden party while also visiting an army barracks in Hampshire where he joked about being "allowed out of my cage".

As the King was led into the officers' mess at Gibraltar Barracks in Minley by Lt Col Grant, he said to him: "I do apologise for taking you by surprise, when this opportunity appeared and I had been allowed out of my cage, I wanted to come to have a look."

A visit to an army barracks will have no doubt been a more tame affair than when the royal fulfilled another engagement when attending a rugby match some 55 years ago when a shocking incident reportedly left the king bemused and sent ripples through the world of rugby.

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The incident dates back to 1969 when the late Brian Price, often compared to Alun Wyn Jones, delivered what is now known as the most infamous punch in Five Nations history, knocking down Ireland's Noel Murphy.

This happened right in front of a young Charles, who was seated in the stands at Cardiff Arms Park. The then 20-year-old, just months away from his investiture as Prince of Wales, might have been taken aback by the sight.

Charles had previously mentioned his introduction to rugby at Gordonstoun School, where he claimed that spiteful masters placed him in the second row so that "systematic assaults on me in the scrum went unseen".

Now, he was witnessing first-hand the rough nature of the sport. Early in the match, right in front of the Royal box, second-row Price landed a right hook that floored flanker Murphy.

It was later said about the Irish player: "He turned towards the grandstand, his head high and dignified, befitting a prince of Irish players, as though imploring the sympathy of the young Prince of Wales seated in the royal enclosure, then crashed to the ground like a felled oak! How the crowd roared!"

Strikingly, the referee decided against dismissing Price. This prompted an incredulous David Coleman, a presenter and commentator for the BBC, to question: "What do you have to do to be sent off at rugby?"

Meanwhile, The Times sternly declared "it was a deplorable act of ruffianism," adding in a peculiar note that "it was the depth of bad manners".

Murphy likely felt it as more than a mere lapse in etiquette.

Years down the line, Price, who ranks among Welsh rugby's greatest ever figures and who isn't known for being involved in on-field brawls or violent behaviour, confessed that there had been a game plan ahead of the match intending to target Murphy, who is considered an expert at killing the ball.

"There was a Murphy Plan let's admit that at the start," he confirmed. "It was simple enough. Gareth Edwards would pick the ball up from the scrum, go round the side where Noel would tackle him. Then we'd all do a little bit of trampling on Noel."

However, this resulted in the centre of attention for the Welsh team being punched right in front of a prince. "I got the ball back from a lineout and then found some fingers around my eyes," Price stated.

"I turned round and lashed out. The referee (the late Doug McMahon of Scotland) looked at me and I was thinking: 'I'm going. In front of the Prince, I'm going.' Thankfully, the ref realised it was done in retaliation, warned me and gave Ireland a penalty."

The King was never asked for his opinion on the controversy that marked his first visit to the Arms Park. But plenty of others still remember the game that prompted the South Wales Echo to headline its match report "A right royal punch-up".

It was won 24-11 by Wales, denying Ireland a Triple Crown. Referee McMahon never whistled another international match.