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Only 46% want another Prince of Wales after Charles, poll suggests

22 Jun 2022 3 minute read
Prince Charles. Picture by Arnaud Bouissou (CC0 1.0).

Only 46% want another Prince of Wales after Charles, a YouGov poll suggests.

The poll for ITV of adults in Wales showed that 46% wanted another Prince of Wales, 31% said there shouldn’t be another one, and 23% weren’t sure.

Prince William is expected to inherit the title of Prince of Wales, and his wife the Princess of Wales, soon after the Queen dies and Prince Charles becomes King.

However, the title of Prince of Wales was only bestowed on Charles in 1958, six years after Elizabeth II’s reign started.

The investiture at Caernarfon Castle did not happen until almost a decade later, in 1969, and such was the political turmoil that soldiers had to be drafted in to keep the peace.

Opposition ranged from Dafydd Iwan’s songs, to Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s non-violent protests, to a bombing campaign by the MAC.

A Royal source told the Telegraph that Prince William inheriting the title would also be “a bittersweet moment” for Prince William

“This is [Diana’s] son and his wife, so in some ways it will be coming full circle—but it will also be a poignant reminder of what we all lost,” they said.

‘Decide’

Prince William has already briefed the press that he has plans to slim down the Prince of Wales role and focus on a handful of charities when he inherits the title after the Queen’s death.

He is reported to have plans to slash by half the 140 or so staff employed by the current Prince of Wales.

The current Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are the President or Patron of over 500 organisations.

Prince Williams plans instead to focus on a handful of charities prioritising mental health, the environment and children’s early years, the Mail of Sunday said.

But in September of last year the campaign group Republic put up billboards around Wales with the message, “Nid does angen tywysog ar Gymru / Wales doesn’t need a prince.”

The group said they want the nation to hear their message that the Royal Family is “wrong in principle” and should be abolished in favour of an elected head of state.

“The royals are on collision course with British values. The 2020s should be the decade when we finally get to decide who we have as our elected head of state,” Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, said.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies criticised the billboards for not being “reflective of Welsh public opinion”.


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Richard
Richard
2 years ago

It’s time to start a national conversation in Wales for what we need as a young inclusive and engaging nation – and how it is best met to achieve the destiny ahead

Dave
Dave
2 years ago

Okay here we go again. 46% want another Prince of Wales? who? I don’t personally know anybody who does so is this a National poll or a poll in Wales? fake news from YouGov now there is a surprise.

Mr Williams
Mr Williams
2 years ago

The title Prince of Wales was given by Edward I to his son to remind Wales of our subjugation. Therefore continuation of this title is an insult.

Personally I would like to see the title abolished, and the royal family removed, and Wales having an elected head of state – like most modern democracies have.

Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas
2 years ago

There will be a slimmed down, very 21st Century investiture – probably at Cardiff Castle – and a host of sanctimonious Welsh Loyalists will line up to sing, dance and recite poetry for William Windsor. We will hear a lot about ‘modernisation’ of the role, and the media will have plenty of good news stories about selected charities. The arrival of the next so-called “Prince of Wales” will be a highly packaged, and media slick, affair.

Philip Jones
Philip Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Dean Thomas

Summed up excellently. Full coverage by the Boris Broadcasting Company and another appearance by Shirley Bassey. A day trip to Ireland beckons for me

Not My Real Name
Not My Real Name
2 years ago

It’s an opt-in survey. It’s not representative. It’s like when Nation.Cymru urges you to troll an anti-Welsh business. Welsh nationalists are more likely to respond.
This Ponce of Wales thing was likely signposted in the Telegraph or the Heil

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

This insult to our nation has lasted long enough – No more English Prince of Wales. Even if William does end up with the title – upon independence we can boot it into touch ourselves.

Rhosddu
Rhosddu
2 years ago

Prince Williams? Think I chatted to him in a pub in Maesteg a while back. Perhaps we could have him rather than that toff from London in the epaulettes.

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