Prince of Wales (Welsh: Tywysog Cymru, pronounced[təu̯ˈəsoɡˈkəmrɨ]; Latin: Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the English, and later British, throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Gwynedd who, from the late 12th century, used it (albeit inconsistently) to assert their supremacy over the other Welsh rulers. However, to mark the finalisation of his conquest of Wales, in 1301, Edward I of England invested his son Edward of Caernarfon with the title, thereby beginning the tradition of giving the title to the heir apparent when he was the monarch's son or grandson. The title was later claimed by the leader of a Welsh rebellion, Owain Glyndŵr, from 1400 until 1415.
King Charles III, created his son William Prince of Wales on 9 September 2022 the day after his accession to the throne, with formal letters patent issued on 13 February 2023. The title has become a point of controversy in Wales.
Welsh princes of Wales
Origins to 1283
The first known use of the title "Prince of Wales"[note 1] was in the 1160s by Owain Gwynedd, ruler of Kingdom of Gwynedd, in a letter to Louis VII of France.[2] In the 12th century, Wales was a patchwork of Anglo-Norman Lordships and native Welsh principalities – notably Deheubarth, Powys and Gwynedd – competing among themselves for hegemony.[3] Owain's aim in using the title in his letter to Louis was probably to claim pre-eminence over the other native Welsh rulers.[4] Following Owain's death in 1170 no other ruler, with the exception of Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth, is known to have adopted the title until 1245.[5] Rhys used several titles, sometimes concurrently, and in two charters from the 1180s he is referred to as "Prince of Wales" or "Prince of the Welsh".[6][7]
The title was revived in 1245 when Dafydd ap Llywelyn, ruler of Gwynedd, began using it in the final months of his reign. In the intervening years, Owen Gwynedd's successors in Gwynedd, including Dafydd, had, instead, adopted the titles "Prince of North Wales" or "Prince of Aberffraw and Lord of Snowdon".[8]
However, it is in the reign of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Dafydd's nephew and successor in Gwynedd, that the title is consistently used over an extended period. From 1262[note 2] to his death in 1282, Llywelyn used no other style except 'Prince of Wales and Lord of Snowdon'.[10] This was accompanied by Llywelyn making the Principality of Wales (encompassing Gwynedd, Deheubarth, Powys and parts of the Marches) a political reality.[11][12] He had achieved this by significantly expanding his directly ruled territories into Mid- and South Wales and inducing all the other remaining native Welsh rulers to do him homage and acknowledge him as overlord by 1263.[13] Additionally, Llywelyn developed governance structures which made his authority effective across the entire Principality of Wales, including in the territories of the Welsh rulers that owed him allegiance.[14] The significance of these developments was marked by Henry III of England recognising Llywelyn's title and authority in the Treaty of Montgomery of 1267.[13] As J. Beverley Smith has noted, his title "at once, acknowledged and proclaimed a status unique in Welsh political history".[15]
Llywelyn's principality was destroyed as a result of the conquest of Wales by Edward I between 1277 and 1283, during which Llewylyn was killed in 1282.[16] After his death, his brother, Dafydd, adopted Llywelyn's title and continued resistance for a few months.[17] However, Dafydd was defeated and executed in 1283 and the principality was permanently annexed by Edward I.[16]
Post-conquest claimants
In the fourteenth century, two pretenders to the title of 'Prince of Wales' attempted to make good their claims: Owain Lawgoch, a descendant of the Princes of Gwynedd, and Owain Glyndŵr, whose ancestors included the former rulers of Powys and Deheubarth.[note 3] Owain Lawgoch's abortive attempt at invading Wales in 1372 was followed by Glyndŵr's much more serious revolt beginning in 1400.[19]
Glyndŵr's rebellion commenced with his supporters proclaiming him Prince of Wales.[20] However, it is unclear how important this was in his initial objectives, given that his immediate motivation appears to have been a personal grievance with a neighbouring English Lord.[21][22] By 1401, he had effectively dropped his claim to the title. But, with the rebellion's military successes of 1402–1403 and the growth in his support in Wales, he became more ambitious. In 1404, he had himself crowned as Prince of Wales, and he launched plans to create the state institutions of a new principality. This phase of the revolt was short-lived, however. By 1406, the rebellion began to fail militarily, and, from 1409, Glyndŵr had to exchange the trappings of a ruling prince for those of a hunted outlaw. He died in obscurity, probably around 1415.[23]
Depiction of the "Honours of the Principality of Wales" created in 1911 for the investiture of Edward (later Edward VIII).
The title is neither automatic nor heritable; it merges with the Crown when its holder eventually accedes to the throne, or reverts to the Crown if its holder predeceases the current monarch, leaving the sovereign free to grant it to the new heir apparent (such as the late prince's son or brother).[24]
The Prince of Wales usually has other titles and honours, if the eldest son of the monarch:
Since 1301, the title 'Earl of Chester' has generally been granted to each heir apparent to the English throne, and from the late 14th century it has been given only in conjunction with that of 'Prince of Wales'. Both titles are bestowed to each individual by the sovereign and are not automatically acquired.[25]
Typically the prince is also Duke of Cornwall. Unlike the title Prince of Wales, this inherently includes lands and constitutional and operational responsibilities. The duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337 by Edward III for his son and heir, Edward of Woodstock (also known as 'The Black Prince'). A charter was also created which ruled that the eldest son of the king would be the Duke of Cornwall.[26]
No formal public role or responsibility has been legislated by Parliament or otherwise delegated to the prince of Wales by law or custom. In that role, Charles often assisted Elizabeth II in the performance of her duties. He represented her when welcoming dignitaries to London and during state visits. He also represented the Queen and the United Kingdom overseas at state and ceremonial occasions such as funerals.[27] The Prince of Wales has also been granted the authority to issue royal warrants.[28]
In 2011, along with the other Commonwealth realms, the United Kingdom committed to the Perth Agreement, which proposed changes to the laws governing succession, including altering the male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture.[29] The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 was introduced to the British parliament on 12 December 2012, published the next day, and received royal assent on 25 April 2013.[30] It was brought into force on 26 March 2015,[31] at the same time as the other realms implemented the Perth Agreement in their own laws.[32]
Arms of English heir apparent, Edward the Black Prince
The Prince of Wales's feathers are the badge of the Prince of Wales by virtue of being the heir apparent.[33] The ostrich feathers are generally traced back to Edward of Woodstock ('The Black Prince'). He bore (as an alternative to his differencedroyal arms) a shield of Sable, three ostrich feathers argent, described as his "shield for peace", probably meaning the shield he used for jousting. These arms appear several times on his chest tomb in Canterbury Cathedral, alternating with his paternal royal arms (the royal arms of King Edward III differenced by a label of three points argent).[34] The Black Prince also used heraldic badges of one or more ostrich feathers in various other contexts.[35]
Selected events and anomalies
This article appears to be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-recent events.(October 2023)
First English Prince of Wales
Edward I of England creating his son as "Prince of Wales" at the Lincoln parliament, England (14th century depiction)
In order to finalise his conquest of Wales, Edward I began the custom of granting the title of Prince of Wales to the heir apparent to the English throne.[36] Consequently, in 1301, Edward invested his Welsh-born eldest son, Edward of Caernarfon, as the first Plantagenet Prince of Wales.[37]
Writing in Britannia, William Camden describes the killing of Llywelyn and Edward's use of the title "Prince of Wales" for his son:[38]
As concerning the Princes of Wales of British bloud in ancient times, you may reade in the Historie of Wales published in print. For my part I thinke it requisite and pertinent to my intended purpose to set downe summarily those of latter daies, descended from the roiall line of England. King Edward the First, unto whom his father King Henrie the Third had granted the Principalitie of Wales, when hee had obtained the Crowne and Lhewellin Ap Gryffith, the last Prince of the British race, was slain, and therby the sinewes as it were of the principalitie were cut, in the twelft yeere of his reigne united the same unto the Kingdome of England. And the whole province sware fealty and alleageance unto Edward of Caernarvon his sonne, whom hee made Prince of Wales. But King Edward the Second conferred not upon his sonne Edward the title of Prince of Wales, but onely the name of Earle of Chester and of Flint, so farre as ever I could learne out of the Records, and by that title summoned him to Parliament, being then nine yeres old. King Edward the Third first created his eldest sonne Edward surnamed the Blacke Prince, the Mirour of Chivalrie (being then Duke of Cornwall and Earle of Chester), Prince of Wales by solemne investure, with a cap of estate and Coronet set on his head, a gold ring put upon his finger, and a silver vierge delivered into his hand, with the assent of Parliament.[39]
—William Camden, Britannia (1607)
Brothers
In 1504, Henry Tudor (the future Henry VIII) was given the title after the death of his older brother Arthur (in 1502), who predeceased his father, King Henry VII.[25]
The same occurred in 1616, when Henry Frederick Stuart predeceased (in 1612) his father James I; Henry's brother Charles Stuart, later Charles I, was given the title.[25]
Edward (then the heir apparent; later King Edward VIII) was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in July 1911. This was the first such public investiture for centuries. He had been created Prince of Wales in June 1910.
On arrival, Edward addressed the crowd briefly, and somewhat poetically, in Welsh: "Môr o gân yw Cymru i gyd." The king presented Edward with the insignia of his office. After the ceremony the royal party rejoined the royal yacht. It was said that the ceremonial was partly "invented tradition".
Two investiture protesters hold placards with "CARLO", and one protester holds a poster with the word "BRAD" ("Betrayal"), Caernarfon Castle 1969
People at the investiture
Although the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969 took place during a period of social change and a growing Welsh nationalist movement, it was largely welcomed by people in Wales.[40] The investiture was also attended, by invitation, by 3,500 people who lived and worked in Wales.[41] In the UK, the press focused on the pomp and regalia, with newspaper headlines such as "Welsh go wild for Their Royal Prince" and "Proud Wales takes Prince to her heart."[42] It was also supported by the Secretary of State for Wales at the time, George Thomas, although he remained a controversial figure in Wales.[43] Thomas later said to Prime Minister Harold Wilson that Charles's speech had "boosted Welsh nationalism."[42]
The 1960s movement surrounding the investiture has historically been described as the "anti-investiture movement"[44]:207[45][46] and "anti-investiture sentiment".[47] The investiture occurred during a period of revival of the Welsh national consciousness, with an outspoken section considering him as an English Prince being imposed upon Wales.[48] The investiture also led to significant protests in Wales. The group "Cofia 1282" ("Remember 1282") also held protests against the investiture.[49]
William as Prince of Wales
On 9 September 2022 (the day after his accession to the throne), during his first address as king, Charles III said of his son William, "Today I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru. The country whose title I've been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life of duty."[50] Buckingham Palace stated that "The Prince and Princess [of Wales] look forward to celebrating Wales's proud history and traditions as well as a future that is full of promise".[51] The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, noted that "William will be absolutely aware of the sensitivities that surround the title..."[50]
Though the title started to be used immediately afterward, it was only documented formally by letters patent on 13 February 2023.[52][53]
Contemporary debate
Title
Charles III proclaimed William as Prince of Wales on 9 September 2022, the day after the death of Elizabeth II, surprising Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales, who said he had not been given notice of the announcement. The creation of a new Prince of Wales was the catalyst for a renewed debate on the title, and already, on 8 September, a petition had been started calling for the title to be ended. The petition had garnered 25,000 signatures in its first few days.[54]
Former Welsh Assembly presiding officer, Lord Elis-Thomas, had also questioned the need for the title to continue, and recalled previous discussion with the then Prince Charles, who expressed his desire never again to have an investiture in Caernarfon Castle. According to Elis-Thomas, Charles laughed and said, "Do you think I want to put William through what I went through?".[55]
The decision to grant William the title of Prince of Wales was criticised by the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru: Senedd member Cefin Campbell called the decision "divisive" and party leader Adam Price called for a public debate on the issue.[56]
The question raised by critics was one of respect for Wales as a country in its own right, and the continued symbol of the historical invasion and oppression of Wales. William pledged that he would serve Wales with humility and great respect for its people, and spoke of the honour he felt to do so. He signalled a desire to reform the role.[57]
The contemporary debate does not focus wholly on abolition, but explores how, if the title is to continue, it may be adapted to reflect the realities of the changing constitutional relationship with Wales. This includes the question of whether the Welsh Government should play a greater role in the appointment process, or whether there should be a Senedd ceremonial process to reflect the nation's governance over its own affairs.[54]
Opinion polls
A BBC Wales poll in 1999 showed that 73% of Welsh speakers believed the title should continue after Charles.[58] A BBC poll in 2009, 40 years following the investiture, revealed 58% of Welsh people support the title "Prince of Wales"; 26% opposed the title. However, only 16% responded that Wales had benefited from having a prince.[59][60]
In July 2018, an ITV poll found that 57% of Welsh people supported the title passing to William, with 22% for abolition or vacating the title. Support for another investiture was lower, with 31% supporting a ceremony similar to the 1969 one, 18% supporting a ceremony different to 1969, and 27% opposing an investiture.[61]
In 2019, a BBC Wales poll showed that 50% supported the continuation of the title and 22% opposed. On the investiture, 41% supported a similar ceremony to 1969, 20% a different-style investiture ceremony, and 30% opposed any future investiture.[62][63] A 2021 poll by Beaufort Research for Western Mail showed 61% of respondents in Wales supported another investiture, including 60% of Welsh-speakers polled.[64]
In June 2022, an ITV/YouGov poll showed that 46% of adults in Wales wanted the Prince of Wales title to continue, and 31% said it should be abolished.[65] In September 2022, a YouGov poll showed 66% support for Prince William to be given the title compared to 22% opposed, with 19% supporting a 1969-style investiture, 30% a different style of investiture and 34% opposing any investiture of Prince William as Prince of Wales.[66]
List of princes of Wales (English or British heirs apparent)
The current sovereign Charles III was the longest serving Prince of Wales for 64 years and 44 days between 1958 and 2022, and the oldest person to hold the position. He was also heir apparent for longer than any other in British history.[79] Upon the death of his mother on 8 September 2022, Charles became king and the title merged with the Crown.[80] The following day, King Charles III bestowed the title upon his elder son, Prince William, Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge.[81][52] Prince William is the oldest person to be created Prince of Wales.
Edward of Westminster (1453–1471) Prince of Wales (1454–1471) Duke of Cornwall (1454–1471)
From the 1469 Act of Scottish Parliament, the Earldom of Carrick and the Dukedom of Rothesay was to be automatically held by the "first-born Prince of the King of Scots."
James (1473–1513) Duke of Rothesay (1473–1488) later King James IV of Scots
↑ The term used was, in Latin, Princeps Walliarum ("Prince of the Waleses"). However, the form of address in letters Owain received from Thomas Becket and Pope Alexander III suggests that by 1169 he was also using the titles Princeps Wallie ("Prince of Wales") and Wallensium Princeps ("Prince of the Welsh").[1]
↑ From his accession in 1246 until 1262, Llywelyn appears to have avoided using any title.[9] Instead, he adopted a style in formal documents that only referenced his descent from Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ap Iorwerth. However, he briefly changed this approach in 1258 when, in an agreement between the Scottish and Welsh Lords, he used the title 'Prince of Wales' for the first time.[8]
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Llywelyn II, also known as Llywelyn the Last, was Prince of Gwynedd, and later was recognised as the Prince of Wales from 1258 until his death at Cilmeri in 1282. Llywelyn was the son of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ap Iorwerth and grandson of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, and he was one of the last native and independent princes of Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England and English rule in Wales that followed, until Owain Glyndŵr held the title during the Welsh Revolt of 1400–1415.
Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, also known as Llywelyn the Great, was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominated Wales for 45 years.
Princess of Wales is a title used since the 14th century by the wife of the Prince of Wales. The Princess is the apparent future queen consort, as "Prince of Wales" is a title reserved by custom for the heir apparent to the British throne, and earlier the English throne. The current title-holder is Catherine.
The Kingdom of Gwynedd was a Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain.
The Principality of Wales was originally the territory of the native Welsh princes of the House of Aberffraw from 1216 to 1283, encompassing two-thirds of modern Wales during its height of 1267–1277. Following the conquest of Wales by Edward I of England of 1277 to 1283, those parts of Wales retained under the direct control of the English crown, principally in the north and west of the country, were re-constituted as a new Principality of Wales and ruled either by the monarch or the monarch's heir though not formally incorporated into the Kingdom of England. This was ultimately accomplished with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 when the Principality ceased to exist as a separate entity.
Owain Goch ap Gruffudd was brother to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Dafydd ap Gruffudd and, for a brief period in the late 1240s and early 1250s, ruler of part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
Llywelyn's coronet is a lost treasure of Welsh history. It is recorded that Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales and Lord of Aberffraw had deposited this crown and other items with the monks at Cymer Abbey for safekeeping at the start of his final campaign in 1282. He was killed later that year. It was seized alongside other holy artefacts in 1284 from the ruins of the defeated Kingdom of Gwynedd. Thereafter it was taken to London and presented at the shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey by King Edward I of England as a token of the complete annihilation of the independent Welsh state.
Powys Fadog was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys. The princes of Powys Fadog would build their royal seat at Castell Dinas Brân, and their religious center at Valle Crucis Abbey. Some of its lordships included those of Maelor, Mochnant, Glyndyfrdwy, Yale, and Bromfield and Yale. Following the division of Powys, their cousin branch, the princes of Powys Wenwynwyn, would build Powis Castle.
Welsh republicanism or republicanism in Wales is the political ideology that advocates for Wales to be governed by a republican system, as opposed to the monarchy of the United Kingdom.
Latin versions of "King of Wales" were titles used on a handful of occasions in the Middle Ages. They were very seldom claimed or applied by contemporaries, because Wales, much like Ireland, usually had neither the political unity nor the sovereignty of other contemporary European kingdoms such as England and Scotland. While many early rulers of areas within Wales used the title of "King", they were not, and did not claim to be, rulers of all Wales.
This article is about the particular significance of the century 1201–1300 to Wales and its people.
Wales in the High Middle Ages covers the 11th to 13th centuries in Welsh history. Beginning shortly before the Norman invasion of the 1060s and ending with the Conquest of Wales by Edward I between 1278 and 1283, it was a period of significant political, cultural and social change for the country.
Wales in the Middle Ages covers the history of the country that is now called Wales, from the departure of the Romans in the early fifth century to the annexation of Wales into the Kingdom of England in the early sixteenth century. This period of about 1,000 years saw the development of regional Welsh kingdoms, Celtic conflict with the Anglo-Saxons, reducing Celtic territories, and conflict between the Welsh and the Anglo-Normans from the 11th century.
The history of Gwynedd in the High Middle Ages is a period in the history of Wales spanning the 11th to the 13th centuries. Gwynedd, located in the north of Wales, eventually became the most dominant of Welsh polities during this period. Contact with continental courts allowed for Gwynedd to transition from a petty kingdom into an increasingly sophisticated principality of seasoned courtiers capable of high-level diplomacy and representation, not only with the Angevin kings of England, but with the king of France and the Papacy. Distinctive achievements in Gwynedd include the further development of medieval Welsh literature, particularly the work of the princely court poets known as Beirdd y Tywysogion and the reformation of bardic schools; and the continued development of Cyfraith Hywel. All three of these further contributed to the development of a Welsh national identity in the face of Anglo-Norman encroachment on Wales.
The House of Aberffraw was a medieval royal court based in the village it was named after, Aberffraw, Anglesey within the borders of the then Kingdom of Gwynedd. The dynasty was founded in the 9th century by a King in Wales whose descendants founded the Welsh Royal Houses. The other medieval Welsh dynasties were the Royal Houses of Dinefwr, Mathrafal.
The Royal House of Mathrafal began as a cadet branch of the Welsh Royal House of Dinefwr, taking their name from Mathrafal Castle. They effectively replaced the House of Gwertherion, who had been ruling the Kingdom of Powys since late Roman Britain, through the politically advantageous marriage of an ancestor, Merfyn the Oppressor. King Bleddyn ap Cynfyn would join the resistance of the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, against the invasion of William the Conqueror, following the Norman Conquest of England. Thereafter, they would struggle with the Plantagenets and the remaining Welsh Royal houses for the control of Wales. Although their fortunes rose and fell over the generations, they are primarily remembered as Kings of Powys and last native Prince of Wales.
The conquest of Wales by Edward I took place between 1277 and 1283. It is sometimes referred to as the Edwardian conquest of Wales, to distinguish it from the earlier Norman conquest of Wales. In two campaigns, in 1277 and 1282–83, respectively, Edward I of England first greatly reduced the territory of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, and then completely overran it, as well as the other remaining Welsh principalities.
During the late Middle Ages in medieval Wales, rebellions were instigated by the Welsh people in a series of battles and wars before and after the 13th century conquest of Wales by Edward I. By 1283, the whole of Wales was under the control of the Kingdom of England for the first time. Then, by 1400, after centuries of intermittent warfare in Wales, the discontent of the Welsh people with English rule in Wales culminated in the Welsh Revolt, a major uprising led by Owain Glyndŵr, who achieved de facto control over much of the country in the following years. The rebellion petered out after 1409, and after complete English control was restored in 1415, there were no further major rebellions against England in the former Kingdoms in Wales.
↑ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1909). A Complete Guide to Heraldry. London: T.C. & E.C. Jack. LCCN09023803– via Internet Archive. the Prince of Wales is the only one who rejoices in the possession of officially assigned badges. The badge of the eldest son of the Sovereign, as such, and not as Prince of Wales, is the plume of three ostrich feathers, enfiled with the circlet from his coronet. Recently an additional badge (on a mount vert, a dragon passant gules, charged on the shoulder with a label of three points argent) has been assigned to His Royal Highness. This action was taken with the desire to in some way gratify the forcibly expressed wishes of Wales, and it is probable that, the precedent having been set, it will be assigned to all those who may bear the title of Prince of Wales in future.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
