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Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales (Welsh: Tywysog Cymru, pronounced [təu̯ˈəsoɡ ˈkəmrɨ]; Latin: Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the English and, later, British thrones. 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.

For other uses, see Prince of Wales (disambiguation).

Prince of Wales

Monarch of the United Kingdom (previously of England)

Life tenure or until accession as sovereign

  • 1165 (Welsh title)
  • 1301 (English/British title)

The current holder of the title is William, who was designated Prince of Wales by his father, King Charles III, on 9 September 2022, with formal letters patent issued on 13 February 2023. The title has, in recent years, 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 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] The context of the title (princeps Walliarum) was in reference to the titles of early Roman Emperors, in contrast to how it was later used under the English and British crowns for crown princes.[2] 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]

Since 1301, the title '' 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]

Earl of Chester

Typically the prince is also . 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]

Duke of Cornwall

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 appointments 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 heirs to the British throne

List of heirs to the English throne

Prince's Consent

Princess of Wales

Prince of Wales's feathers

Wales in the Late Middle Ages

Welsh heraldry

(1863). A Manual of Heraldry, Historical and Popular. London: Windsor And Newton. ISBN 978-1-146-28954-2.

Boutell, Charles

; Pinches, Rosemary (1974). The Royal Heraldry of England. Heraldry Today. Slough, Buckinghamshire: Hollen Street Press. ISBN 978-0-900455-25-4.

Pinches, John Harvey

(official website until 2022) which includes a list of and history of previous Princes of Wales since Llewelyn ap Gruffydd (aka Llewelyn the Last)

The Prince of Wales