 Planché moved back to London on becoming Rouge Croix. For three years from the end of 1856, he focused on the duties of his new office and his scholarly pursuits. Planché's new office also carried with it ceremonial duties. On four occasions he was part of diplomatic missions to invest foreign monarchs with the Order of the Garter: to King Pedro V of Portugal in 1858, and his successor King Luis in 1865, to Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria in 1867 and to King Umberto I of Italy in 1878. Planché also participated in state ceremonial within England; in 1856 he and other officers of arms proclaimed peace following the conclusion of the Crimean War. This was supposed to take place "according to precedent", but the' stage management ' of the event left something to be desired; among other things the gates at Temple Bar, where the officers of arms customarily demand entry to the City of London, were left open.
