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The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill[1] (commonly referred to as the Senedd Reform Bill) was introduced in September 2023 to take forward proposals to expand and reform the Senedd in Wales. Proposals included created sixteen larger constituencies, each electing six members of the Senedd (MSs) by proportional representation. It was hoped to approve the bill in time to take affect from the 2026 Senedd election.[2][3]
Background[edit]
The title Prince of Wales is one that has traditionally been bestowed to the male heir apparent of the English or British monarch, since Edward I of England gave his son Edward of Caernarfon the title in 1284. The bestowal is not automatic, however, nor hereditary.[4] Edward had been born in Caernarfon Castle in 1284, possibly a deliberate statement by Edward I to the recently conquered Welsh.[5] The Prince of Wales title came with the royal lands in Wales, as well as the title Earl of Chester. The Prince of Wales spent 5 weeks in Caernarfon in 1301 but would never return again.[5]
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom made her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester by letters patent on 26 July 1958 when he was only 9-years-old.[6] Elizabeth's uncle Edward, the future King Edward VIII, had been the previous Prince of Wales and had been invested in the title at Caernarfon Castle in 1911 before becoming King in 1936.[6] The 1911 ceremony was a new invention, though using medieval symbolism, which would be repeated by Charles' investiture in 1969.[7]
Event[edit]
Charles was formally invested with the title Prince of Wales at a ceremony at Caernarfon Castle on 1 July 1969. The event was orgainised by a specially established Investiture Committee, chaired by the Earl Marshal.[8] Charles' uncle the Earl of Snowden, being a professional photographer, arranged the ceremony to be television-friendly.[9]
With a growing national consciousness rising in Wales at the time, the investiture needed to celebrate both the pride in Wales and the current British monarchy.[10]
Prior to the investiture, Charles spent 9 weeks at Aberystwyth University learning to speak the Welsh language, taught by Welsh nationalist Dr Tedi Millward.[9] Charles consequently was able to give a speech at the investiture, in Welsh and English, where he pledged to "to associate [himself] in word and deed with as much of the life of the Principality as possible".[11]
The ceremony was broadcast live on BBC television, in black and white on BBC1 and in colour on BBC2, from 10:30am till 4:30pm. It was also broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and bilingually on BBC Radio 4 Wales.[12] It had an audience of 19 million in the UK and 500 million worldwide.[8]
Opposition[edit]
The investiture faced fierce opposition from people who saw the Prince of Wales as symbolic of Wales' occupation by the English crown. The day before the investiture two men, planning to blow up a local government building, were killed when their homemade bomb exploded prematurely.[9]
In popular culture[edit]
The Prince of Wales' investiture was recreated during season 3 of the Netflix television series, The Crown. Episode 6, named Tywysog Cymru (English: Prince of Wales) and first broadcast in November 2019, follows Charles' attendance at Aberystwyth University where he learnt to speak Welsh.[9][11]
References[edit]
- ^ "Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill: integrated impact assessment". Welsh Government. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Mosalski, Ruth (18 September 2023). "Plan to increase size of Senedd to begin route into law". Wales Online. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Minchin, Rod (18 September 2023). "Plans to overhaul Senedd announced". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Prince of Wales". BBC Wales - History. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ a b Prestwich, Michael, Edward I, Yale University Press, pp. 225–227, ISBN 978-0300146653, retrieved 24 September 2022
- ^ a b "The Prince of Wales – Previous Princes of Wales". PrinceofWales.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ Matthews, Rupert, "An invented investiture", Wales - A Very Peculiar History, Salariya Book Company Limited, ISBN 978-1908759238, retrieved 24 September 2022
- ^ a b "The Investiture of the Prince of Wales" (blog). National Archives. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d Westenfeld, Adrienne (24 November 2019). "The Crown Misses the Full Story of Political Turmoil During Prince Charles's Time in Wales". Esquire. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ Stewart Mottram, ed. (2016), "Chapter 4 - 'Prince of Wales by Cambria's Full Consent'? The Princedom of Wales and the Early Modern Stage", Writing Wales - A Very Peculiar History, Taylor & Francis, p. 75, ISBN 978-1134788293 Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ a b Rowland, Paul (14 November 2019). "Historically accurate it's not, but The Crown's positive take on Wales and the Welsh language is great to see". Wales Online. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ "Investiture of the Prince of Wales - i July 1969". BBC 100. BBC. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2022.