Prince William and his wife Catherine have been named the new Prince and Princess of Wales by King Charles III. “Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru,” said the King, who previously held the title. The King made the comments in his first address to the nation following the death of the Queen, aged 96.
“With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations,” he said. He added that they would help “bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given”. The pair will also take the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall titles, previously held by the King and Camilla, the new Queen Consort.
In 2010 Prince William spoke of how no one was trying to fill his mother’s shoes and said Catherine would make her own destiny. “There’s no pressure because like Kate said it is about carving your own future. No one is trying to fill my mother’s shoes. What she did is fantastic. “It’s about making your own future and your own destiny and Kate will do a very good job of that.”
‘Long and Enduring friendship’
Reacting to the news Wales’ First Minister Drakeford said: “King Charles III has enjoyed a long and enduring friendship with Wales. “Today, in his first public duty as monarch, he has bestowed the title of Prince of Wales to his eldest son William. “We look forward to deepening our relationship with the new Prince and Princess.” Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Conservatives in the Senedd, said: “A profound, moving address by His Majesty, King Charles III. “We join him in thanks to Her Late Majesty. And we welcome the new Prince and Princess of Wales. God Save the King.”
The King was only 20 years old when he has crowned Prince of Wales in a ceremony at Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd, in 1969. The investiture was watched by a TV audience of millions around the world – however, it is a title that has divided opinion in Wales. An opinion poll of 1,020 people in June 2022, conducted by ITV and YouGov, suggested that 46% of people thought there should be another Prince of Wales, while 31% did not.
Following the announcement Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price said: “There will be time, in due course, for a public debate surrounding the title of the Prince of Wales. “It is Plaid Cymru’s long-held view that it should be the people’s democratic right to have a final say on this matter in an independent Wales. “For now, Plaid Cymru’s thoughts are with the Royal Family as they grieve.”
Leanne Wood, former leader of Plaid Cymru, said: “Wales has no need for a prince”. On Thursday evening former Presiding Officer Lord Elis-Thomas told Newyddion S4C that it did not “make any sense to a devolved democratic country like Wales to have a prince these days. He said: “The prince of Wales… there’s no constitutional role at all, there’s no meaning to it in the constitution. “And I think, although it won’t happen this time, I think the title will disappear because it doesn’t make any sense to a devolved democratic country like Wales to have a prince these days.” He added there needed to be a “discussion in Wales about what should happen to the title Prince of Wales, and what use there is of the title.”
