There's a new series on BBC called The Story of Wales. Beginning with the Red Lady of Paviland Cave (oldest human remains found in Britain) it looks at how Wales as we know it has taken shape. And I have to say that, after episode 2, I understand why I have, somewhere etched in my soul, a distrust of the English, and why I'm ready to start a rebellion against the title of Prince of Wales.
The word, prince, has Latin origins, meaning the principal leader, and was used by the big Chief amongst the regional leaders. After Llywellyn the Last, the first and only constitutionally-recognised native Prince of Wales, was killed the English king Edward I's control over Wales grew. He named his son as Prince of Wales, from where tradition of giving the title to the monarch's eldest son continues.
In 1969 there was a great ceremony in Caernarfon Castle (Edward I's stronghold) for the investiture of Charles as prince of Wales. I was 17 then, ignorant of politics, and simply enjoying an extra day off school.
If the day comes when Charles becomes king and William is invested as Prince of Wales, I shall be there amongst the protesters. Let Charles be our last English Prince of Wales!
9 comments:
Aye - Wales eh? We'll be there soon!
hmmm...being 1/4 Welsh,1/4 English, 1/4 Scottish and 1/4 Canadian, I'm in a bit of a tizzy over whom to root for here. It is fascinating history, though.
As descendant of victims of the Clearances and of the Potato Famine , I bristle too when the curtseying begins .... though my grandfather was justly pleased with his MVO many years ago .
It all seems a little outdated now .....
I've a Welshman back in my ancestry a few hundred years, an Irishman more recently, but a lot more English. The whole royalty thing is just foreign to me and somewhat fascinating though.
I think you will find that you were invaded and oppressed by the French, just like the English were. In fact, over half of the land in England is still owned by descendants of the French aristocracy who took in from the English nearly a thousand years ago. The genocide committed against the northern English by the french resulted in far greater death and suffering than that suffered by any other nation of the British Isles.
The reason the Welsh and the Scots blame the English for all your woes is that they have bought into the propaganda of the French aristocracy which was, and still is, aimed at dividing and conquering the pre-Conquest inhabitants of our lands.
Blaming the English is as inaccurate as blaming Max Boyce for all bad comedy.
To the victor the spoils...
@Madpriest - the Normans weren't French - they were Vikings who'd taken over northern France about 100 years before they came and had a go at us... The more you look into who is who and who has the right to rule etc. you get nowhere was we're all so mixed up...
I still maintain since William the Conquer had a problem with the Men of Kent harrying at him after the Battle of Hastings, he did a deal that meant there was a Kingdom of Kent - our motto is Invicta as we were invincible - therefore Kent should be separate and only a true Man of Kent King... ;-)
Looking forward to it, mrs n!
The welsh obviously, leslie!
It does, sonata.
It both fascinates and angers me, katney.
Madpriest, that is what Husband (English) was telling me as I ranted. Whoever they were they came from over the border and there is definitely no reason for a non-native to be given the title prince of Wales.
You start your revolution over there, furtheron, I'll start one here and we'll meet in the middle and divide the spoils!
I suppose you already know that the PoW has veto rights on any proposed parliamentary law which might affect his lands? Who claimed UK was a democracy??
I think its a disgrace that we have an English man with a title 'Prince of Wales' and once Charlie boy becomes king, the title 'Prince of Wales' should be abandoned.
Charlie has doe nothing for Wales and has the discourtesy to agree having the bridge into Wales named after him.
It's about time the people of Wales stood up and made their voices heard.
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