Prince of Wales
The
Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the
United Kingdom (and formerly
Kingdom of Great Britain, and
England) is traditionally invested with the title of
Prince of Wales. The current Prince of Wales is
The Prince Charles, the eldest son of
Queen Elizabeth II.
Originally the title was held by rulers of
Wales, such as
Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, as in
Welsh it was
"Tywysog Cymru". While in dictionaries and in common tongue today the term "Tywysog" will be translated as "
Prince", the literal translation of the term is "Leader" (The verb
tywys means
to lead). The translation of "Prince" was used by Englishmen to undermine the power of the rulers of Wales, causing them to appear inferior to the
Kings of England (as a Prince is lower than the King in the hierarchy), when in reality they were of equal rank.
The tradition of investing the heir of the monarch of Britain with the title of "Prince of Wales" began in
1301, when King
Edward I of England, having completed the conquest of Wales, gave the title to his heir, Prince Edward (later King
Edward II of England). According to a famous legend, the king had promised the rebellious Welsh natives that he would name "a prince born in Wales, who did not speak a word of
English" and then produced his infant son to their surprise (and presumable chagrin); but the story may well be
apocryphal, as it can only be traced to the
16th century. However, Edward II certainly
was born at
Caernarfon while his father was campaigning in Wales, and like all infants, could not at the time speak English. (Indeed, growing up in the royal court over the succeeding years his first language may well have been
Norman French, not English.)
Prior to the conquest of Wales, only a handful of native princes had claimed the title of Prince of Wales, the country having been divided into smaller principalities for most of the post-Roman period. In 1218
Llywelyn the Great had the title bestowed upon him and his successors by the 11-year old
Henry III. It was inherited by his son
Dafydd ap Llywelyn in
1240 and again by his nephew
Llywelyn the Last in
1246. In
1282 Llywelyn was 'deposed' by
Edward I of England and the title became dormant.
Edward I conquered Wales and in
1301 granted the Principality to his eldest son, also named Edward. The Principality, nowadays, is always conferred along with the Earldom of Chester. The convention began only in
1399; all previous Princes of Wales also received the earldom, but separately from the Principality. Indeed, before
1272 a hereditary and not necessarily royal
Earldom of Chester had already been created several times, eventually merging in the crown each time. The earldom was recreated, merging in the Crown in
1307 and again in
1327. Its creations since have been associated with the creations of the Principality of Wales.
Owain Glyndŵr (1349-1416) is probably the best-known Welsh pretender, though whether he was pretender or Prince of Wales depends upon your source of information. Officially,
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, who died in 1282, was the last native and arguably greatest Prince of Wales. Since 1301, the Prince of Wales has been the eldest living son of the King or Queen Regnant of England (subsequently of Great Britain, 1707, and of United Kingdom, 1801). The word "living" is important. Upon the death of Prince Arthur, the Prince of Wales, Henry VII invested his second son, the future Henry VIII, with the title. The title is not automatic, however, but merges into the Crown when a prince dies or accedes to the throne, and has to be re-created by the sovereign.
Nevertheless, it is Glyndŵr whom many remember as the last native Prince of Wales. He was indeed proclaimed Prince of Wales by his supporters on 16 September 1400, and his revolt in quest of Welsh independence was not quashed by
Henry IV until 1409. Later, however, one of Glyndŵr's cousins, Owain Tudor, would marry the widow of
Henry V, and their grandson would become
Henry VII, from whom the current British monarch is descended (through his daughter Margaret Tudor, who was married off to
James IV of Scotland). So, in a way, Glyndŵr might be said to have had the last laugh.
As
heir apparent to his mother or father the reigning sovereign, the Prince of Wales bears the
Royal Arms differenced by a white label of three points, like any eldest son. To represent
Wales he bears the
Coat of Arms of the Principality of Wales, crowned with the heir-apparent's crown, on an
inescutcheon-en-surtout.
He has a
badge of
three ostrich feathers (which can be seen on the
British Two Pence coin); it dates back to the
Black Prince and is his as the English heir even before he is made Prince of Wales.
In addition to these symbols used most frequently, he has a special standard for use in Wales itself. Moreover, as
Duke of Rothesay he has a special coat of arms for use in
Scotland (and a corresponding standard); as
Duke of Cornwall the like for use in the Duchy of Cornwall. Representations of all three may be found at
List of British flags.
For theories about the origin of the
ostrich feather
badge and of the
motto "Ich dien", see
Edward, the Black Prince#Emblem.
The Principality of Wales and Earldom of
Chester must be created, and are not automatically acquired like the Dukedoms of
Cornwall and
Rothesay, which are the
Heir Apparent's titles in
England and
Scotland, respectively (note: the heir apparent is not necessarily Duke of Cornwall, see
Duke of Cornwall for more details). The dignities are not hereditary, but may be re-created if the Prince of Wales predeceases the King. For example, when
Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales predeceased
King George II, his eldest son,
Prince George (the future George III) was created Prince of Wales.
Princes of Wales may be invested, but investiture is not necessary to be created Prince of Wales. Peers were also invested, but investitures for peers ceased in
1621, during a time when peerages were being created so frequently that the investiture ceremony became cumbersome. Most investitures for Princes of Wales were held in front of Parliament, but in
1911, the future
Edward VIII was invested in
Caernarvon Castle in Wales. The present Prince of Wales was also invested there, in
1969. During the reading of the
letters patent creating the Principality, the
Honours of the Principality of Wales are delivered to the Prince. The coronet of the heir-apparent bears four-crosses pattée alternating with four
fleurs-de-lis, surmounted by a single arch (the Sovereign's crowns are of the same design, but use two arches). A gold rod is also used in the insignia; gold rods were formally used in the investitures of dukes, but survive now in the investitures of Princes of Wales only. Also part of the insignia are a ring, a sword and a robe.
The Prince of Wales is styled
His Royal Highness (HRH). The same style is given to the
Princess of Wales, by virtue of her marriage. However, as was shown in the case of
Diana, Princess of Wales, the style lapses if a Prince and Princess divorce, as it is only hers by virtue of marriage to the Prince of Wales, not in her own right.
It should be noted that the title Prince of Wales was only given to the heir apparent -- that is, the person whose claim to the throne was the best possible, and therefore, that always meant the eldest living legitimate son of the sovereign's body. Any other person who has the best actually existing claim to the throne at any given time is the "heir presumptive." Hence, Elizabeth, the current queen, was never "princess of Wales," as the title only went to males, and was never heir apparent, as (in theory) until the death of her father the king, he might have sired a son who would have preceded her to the throne.
The holders of the title have been:
| Prince of Wales | Parent | From | To | Title passed on because… |
|---|
| Llywelyn ab Iorwerth | Iorwerth ab Owain Gwynedd | 1218 | 1240 | natural succession |
| Dafydd ap Llywelyn | Llywelyn ab Iorwerth | 1240 | 1246 | natural succession |
| Llywelyn ap Gruffydd | Gruffydd ap Llywelyn | 1246 | 1282 | conquest by Edward I |
| Edward | Edward I | 1301 | 1307 | acceded as Edward II |
| Edward, the Black Prince | Edward III | 1343 | 1376 | died |
| Richard of Bordeaux | Edward, the Black Prince | 1376 | 1377 | acceded as Richard II |
| Henry of Monmouth | Henry IV | 1399 | 1413 | acceded as Henry V |
| Edward, Duke of Cornwall | Henry VI | 1453 | 1471 | died |
| Edward Plantagenet | Edward IV | 1470 | 1483 | acceded as Edward V |
| Edward, Duke of Cornwall | Richard III | 1483 | 1484 | died |
| Arthur, Duke of Cornwall | Henry VII | 1486 | 1502 | died |
| Henry, Duke of Cornwall | Henry VII | 1502 | 1509 | acceded as Henry VIII |
| Edward, Duke of Cornwall | Henry VIII | 1537 | 1547 | acceded as Edward VI |
| Henry, Duke of Cornwall | James I | 1603 | 1612 | died |
| Charles, Duke of Cornwall | James I | 1612 | 1625 | acceded as Charles I |
| Charles, Duke of Cornwall | Charles I | 1630 | 1649 | acceded as Charles II |
| James Francis Edward Stuart | James II | 1688 | 1689 | father's deposition |
| George Augustus, Duke of Cornwall | George I | 1714 | 1727 | acceded as George II |
| Frederick Louis, Duke of Cornwall | George II | 1727 | 1751 | died |
| George | Frederick | 1751 | 1760 | acceded as George III |
| George, Duke of Cornwall | George III | 1762 | 1820 | acceded as George IV |
| HRH Prince Albert Edward | Victoria | 1841 | 1901 | acceded as Edward VII |
| HRH Prince George, Duke of Cornwall | Edward VII | 1901 | 1910 | acceded as George V |
| HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Cornwall | George V | 1910 | 1936 | acceded as Edward VIII |
| HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall | Elizabeth II | 1958 | | current title-holder |
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List of rulers of Wales*
Princess of Wales*
Prince of Wales tea blend*Ships of the
Royal Navy named
HMS Prince of Wales.
*
Prince of Wales, convict transport ship on
First Fleet to Australia.
*
Prince of Wales Bridge, Ontario, Canada
*
The Straight Dope: How can I become Prince of Wales?*
Big Picture TV Free video clip of Prince Charles, HRH The Prince of Wales
*
The Royal Family Tree of Europe
