In the context of English nobility and feudal law, investiture represents the public and legal transition of authority or land tenure. Historically, this involved the ceremony of livery of seisin, where a lord granted a fief to a vassal, often symbolized by the physical delivery of an object such as a clod of earth, a glove, or a banner. By the High Middle Ages, this evolved into a sophisticated heraldic rite for the peerage, where the Sovereign invested a noble with the specific ornaments of their rank, such as the surcoat, sword, cap of maintenance, and coronet.
Following the abolition of feudal tenures in 1660, the physical ceremony of investiture for the peerage largely transitioned into the 'Introduction' to the House of Lords. However, it remains a vital element of the Royal Prerogative, most notably seen in the creation of a Prince of Wales or the appointment of Knights of the Garter. The ceremony functions as a visible contract of fealty, binding the recipient to the Crown through the acceptance of regalia that represent both the duties and the privileges of the station.