Large 13″ diameter porcelain plate made as a diplomatic presentation to U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, Charles H. Price II, circa 1981-83. The November 15, 2013, letter of authentication accompanying the porcelain platter, on the letterhead of Carol Rice, states: “This letter serves as confirmation that the 13 inch in diameter plate bearing royal arms [of the Belgian Province of Hainaut] was a gift to Ambassador Price while serving in Belgium [and] came from the estate of Charles H. Prince II.” Inscription: “Fédération Provinciale du Tourisme Province of Hainaut.” Manufacturer: La Porcelaine De Baudour Belgium, with manufacturer’s mark. Charles Harry Price II (April 1, 1931 - January 12, 2012) was a prominent American businessman and ambassador of the United States. In the spring of 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed Price to be United States Ambassador to Belgium. He was quickly and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. In 1983, President Reagan recalled Price from his post in Belgium and appointed him Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The Senate again confirmed him unanimously, and he held the post until the end of the Reagan Administration in 1989. As Ambassador to the United Kingdom, he was instrumental in handling the aftermath of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 and was the first U.S. government official on the scene in Lockerbie, Scotland on the night of the bombing. Price lived in Indian Wells, California with his wife, Carol Swanson Price, after his retirement.
