The monarchical version of the game of musical chairs. With the announcement of the death of Elizabeth II on September 8, her son Carlos automatically became the new sovereign of Great Britain under the name of Carlos III. An ascension to the throne that made him automatically lose his honorary title of Prince of Wales, which he had held since 1958, function recovered de facto by his own son William.
During his first public speech, broadcast on British television, Carlos III had mentioned precisely this transfer of power.
“Today I am proud to name him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru (the term translated into Welsh, editor’s note), the country whose title I have been privileged to bear for much of my life and duty,” he said.
Together with his wife Kate, they will be “our new princes and princesses,” adds Carlos III. This position will lead them to “inspire and lead our national discussions,” he said.
“An Insult to Wales”
The only problem is that William, like his father, is not from Wales at all and has no royal ties to him. This anomaly, 25,000 Welsh people want to denounce it by signing a petition published on the Change.org site, which asks to end this title out of respect for its history.
“The title remains an insult to Wales and is a symbol of historical oppression. The title implies that Wales remains a principality, which undermines Wales’ status as a nation and a country,” write the creators of the petition, who also recall that the title has no constitutional role as Wales is a decentralized country “with a national parliament” which, incidentally, was not consulted by the royal family for the transmission of the title.
In their argument, the latter recall that the last truly Welsh Prince of Wales dates back to Llywelyn the Last, in 1282. He had been killed by English soldiers and “then his head was paraded through the streets of London and placed at a point in the Tower of London”, we can read.
In conclusion, the signatories appeal directly to the members of the royal family, asking them not to “out of habit and without thinking, perpetuate this tradition that sounds like humiliation for our country.”
Wales is a constituent nation of the United Kingdom but, as part of the devolution of powers established by the British Parliament, has had a National Assembly since 1999 which has had the power to pass laws since 2011. If the Welsh language is recognized as a language official, the country is the only one that does not appear in theFlag of the United Kingdomthe national flag of the United Kingdom.
Source: BFM TV
