Prince of Wales

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This article is about the title Prince of Wales. For other uses, see Prince of Wales (disambiguation).

The "Prince of Wales' Feathers". This Heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent is derived from the ostrich feathers borne by Edward, the Black Prince. The German motto "Ich dien" means "I serve."

Standard of the Prince of Wales, as used in England and Northern Ireland

Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (and formerly the Kingdom of Great Britain and before that the Kingdom of England). The current Prince of Wales is The Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II.

1 Roles and responsibilities
2 History
3 Heraldic insignia
4 Other titles and investiture
5 "Heir Apparent" vs. "Heir Presumptive"
6 List of Princes of Wales
7 References
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] Roles and responsibilities

The Prince of Wales currently has no formal role or responsibility that has been legislated by parliament or otherwise delegated by the Monarchy. Prince Charles, as the 21st holder of the title has created the following three roles for himself:^[1]

Undertaking royal duties in support of The Queen
Working as a charitable entrepreneur
Promoting and protecting nationalisation, virtues and excellence

[edit] History

For most of the post-Roman period, Wales was divided into several smaller states. Prior to the Norman conquest of England, the most powerful Welsh ruler at any given time was generally known as King of the Britons. In the 12th and 13th centuries this title evolved into that of Prince of Wales. In Latin, the new title was "Princeps Wallie", while in Welsh it was "Tywysog Cymru". The literal translation of "Tywysog" is "Leader" (The verb tywys means to lead). The translation as "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).^{[citation needed]}

Only a handful of native princes had their claim to be Prince of Wales recognized by the English Crown. In 1218 Llywelyn the Great had the title bestowed upon him and his successors by his brother-in-law, 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. Although Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was the last native Prince of Wales recognized by the English Crown, it is Owain Glyndŵr whom many regard as being the last native Prince. He was proclaimed Prince of Wales by his supporters on 16 September 1400, and his revolt in quest of Welsh independence was suppressed by Henry IV only in 1409.

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.)

Since 1301, the Prince of Wales has usually been the eldest living son of the King or Queen Regnant of England (subsequently of Great Britain, 1707, and of the 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; it merges into the Crown when a prince accedes to the throne, or lapses on his death leaving the sovereign free to re-grant it should another candidate qualify.

The Principality of Wales, nowadays, is always conferred along with the Earldom of Chester. The convention began 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.

[edit] Heraldic insignia

The Current Prince of Wales, Prince Charles

As heir apparent to the reigning sovereign, the Prince of Wales bears the Royal Arms differenced by a white label of an appropriate number of points. Normally this is three points, like any eldest son, but would be five in the case of the Prince of Wales being grandson of the sovereign (as with George II and the future George III). 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.

[edit] Other titles and investiture

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 Prince, 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.

[edit] "Heir Apparent" vs. "Heir Presumptive"

It should be noted that the title Prince of Wales was only given to the heir apparent—that is, a male who cannot be displaced in the succession to the throne by any future birth. This would be the oldest son of a monarch, or if they are deceased, their oldest son, and so on, or if the monarch's son has died without issue, the monarch's second oldest son, etc. Daughters and siblings of the sovereign may be displaced in the succession by younger male relatives and are not "heirs apparent" but "heiresses presumptive."

[edit] List of Princes of Wales

[edit] Prince of Wales as independent title

Picture	Name	Heir of	Birth	Became Prince of Wales	Ceased to be Prince of Wales	Death	Other titles whilst Prince of Wales	Regnal Name	Princess of Wales
	Llywelyn ab Iorwerth	N/A father was Iorwerth ab Owain Gwynedd	c.1173	1218	11 April 1240		Prince of Gwynedd, Prince of Southern Powys	N/A	Joan
	Dafydd ap Llywelyn	N/A father was Llywelyn ab Iorwerth	c. 1208	11 April 1240	25 February 1246		Prince of Gwynedd, Prince of Southern Powys	N/A	Isabella de Braose
	Llywelyn ap Gruffydd	N/A father was Gruffydd ap Llywelyn	c.1223	25 February 1246	11 December 1282 killed in battle, Wales conquered by English		Prince of Gwynedd	N/A	Eleanor de Montfort
Picture	Name	Heir of	Birth	Became Prince of Wales	Ceased to be Prince of Wales	Death	Other titles whilst Prince of Wales	Regnal Name	Princess of Wales

[edit] Prince of Wales as title of English Heir-apparent

Picture	Name	Heir of	Birth	Became Prince of Wales	Ceased to be Prince of Wales	Death	Other titles whilst Prince of Wales	Regnal Name	Princess of Wales
	Edward of Caernarfon	Edward I	25 April 1284	7 February 1301	7 July 1307 Acceded to English throne	21 September 1327	Count of Ponthieu, Earl of Chester	Edward II	–
	Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince	Edward III	15 June 1330	1343	8 June 1376		Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall	–	Joan of Kent
	Richard of Bordeaux	Edward III	6 January 1367	1376	22 June 1377 became King	14 February 1400	Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester	Richard II	–
	Henry of Monmouth	Henry IV	16 September 1387	1399	21 March 1413 became King	31 August 1422	Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester	Henry V	–
Picture	Name	Heir of	Birth	Became Prince of Wales	Ceased to be Prince of Wales	Death	Other titles whilst Prince of Wales	Regnal Name	Princess of Wales

[edit] Owain Glyndŵr

Picture	Name	Heir of	Birth	Became Prince of Wales	Ceased to be Prince of Wales	Death	Other titles whilst Prince of Wales	Regnal Name	Princess of Wales
	Owain Glyndŵr	N/A	1359	16 September 1400	c.1415 conquest	c.1416	–	N/A	Margaret Hanmer
Picture	Name	Heir of	Birth	Became Prince of Wales	Ceased to be Prince of Wales	Death	Other titles whilst Prince of Wales	Regnal Name	Princess of Wales

[edit] Prince of Wales as title of English Heir-apparent

Picture	Name	Heir of	Birth	Became Prince of Wales	Ceased to be Prince of Wales	Death	Other titles whilst Prince of Wales	Regnal Name	Princess of Wales
	Edward of Westminster	Henry VI	13 October 1453	1454	4 May 1471		Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester	–	Anne Neville
	Edward of Westminster	Edward IV	4 November 1470	June 1471	9 April 1483 became King	1483?	Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester	Edward V	–
	Edward of Middleham	Richard III	1473	1483	9 April 1484		Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester, Earl of Salisbury	–	–
	Arthur Tudor	Henry VII	20 September 1486	29 November 1489	2 April 1502		Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester	–	Catherine of Aragon
	Henry Tudor	Henry VII	28 June 1491	1502	22 April 1509 became King	28 January 1547	Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester	Henry VIII	–
	Edward Tudor	Henry VIII	12 October 1537	October 1537	28 January 1547 became King	6 July 1553	Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester	Edward VI	–
	Henry Frederick Stuart	James I	19 February 1594	1610	6 November 1612		Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	–	–
	Charles Stuart	James I	19 November 1600	November 1616	27 March 1625 became King	30 January 1649	Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	Charles I	–
	Charles Stuart	Charles I	29 May 1630	1630	30 January 1649 became King/title abolished	6 February 1685	Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	Charles II	–
	James Francis Edward Stuart	James II	10 June 1688	1688	11 December 1688 Father deposed	1 January 1766	Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	–	–
	George of Hanover	George I	10 November 1683	27 September 1714	11 June 1727 became King	25 October 1760	Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	George II	Caroline of Ansbach
	Frederick of Hanover	George II	1 February 1707	1727	31 March 1751		Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	–	Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
	George of Hanover	George II	4 June 1738	20 April 1751	25 October 1760 became King	29 January 1820	Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Chester	George III	–
	George of Hanover	George III	12 August 1762	August 1762	29 January 1820 became King	26 June 1830	Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	George IV	Caroline of Brunswick
	Albert Edward of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	Victoria	9 November 1841	8 December 1841	22 January 1901 became King	6 May 1910	Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick, Earl of Dublin	Edward VII	Alexandra of Denmark
	George Frederick of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	Edward VII	3 June 1865	9 November 1901	6 May 1910 became King	20 January 1936	Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Duke of York, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	George V	Mary of Teck
	Edward Albert of Windsor	George V	23 June 1894	23 June 1910	20 January 1936 became King	28 May 1972	Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	Edward VIII	–
	Charles of Windsor	Elizabeth II	14 November 1948	26 July 1958	Incumbent		Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick	N/A	Lady Diana Spencer; Camilla Shand (latter does not use title "Princess of Wales")
Picture	Name	Heir of	Birth	Became Prince of Wales	Ceased to be Prince of Wales	Death	Other titles whilst Prince of Wales	Regnal Name	Princess of Wales