The people of Wales have had their say on the future of the Prince of Wales title. There has been a great deal of debate about whether the title should exist in recent weeks.
Within the week of Queen Elizabeth II's death in September, we saw the swift appointment of Prince William into the role vacated by Charles and, almost as quickly, a petition set up calling for an end the title Prince of Wales, which has now reached over 50,000 signatures.
First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said there was a "legitimate debate" to be had about the title, while former Plaid leader Dafydd Elis-Thomas said he believed the title should disappear completely. Reports suggest that Prince William's investiture as the new Prince of Wales will be a more "low-key ceremony" in comparison to his father, known as Prince Charles at the time, in 1969.
Read more: History explains why some Welsh people want the title Prince of Wales abolished
We wanted to know what our readers thought about Prince William's appointment and whether the title should remain, be reformed or disappear altogether. Nearly 8,000 people took part in our survey and most wanted to see the title continue, and for it to remain up to the royal family who holds the title.
Of the 7,828 people who took part in our survey some 55% said they wanted the Prince of Wales title to continue. That was against 43% (3,381) opposed the continuation of the title while 1% (100) said they were unsure.
When asked if the royal family should decide who gets the title, 53% (4,105) who took part in the survey said yes, 45% (3,524) said no and 2% (158) were unsure.
Nor do most of our readers want the title and its role to be reformed. We then asked the question: 'do you think the role of Prince of Wales should be reformed?', those that disagreed with the notion came out on top with 54% (4,191).
Only 37% (2,839) voted yes and 9% (700) said they were unsure. Finally, 50% (3,907) who took part in the survey said that they disagreed with the idea of holding an investiture ceremony for the Prince of Wales, while 42% (3,291) said they wanted a ceremony and 7% (573) said they were undecided.
Nearly 3,000 people wanted to further share their thoughts on the topic. On one side, some people wanted to keep the title because they said they felt they were a part of the UK, while on the other side people supported the idea of abolishing the monarchy altogether. One individual who took part in the survey commented with: "William would be a great Ambassador for Wales. Known more in the world than Drakeford."
Another person said: "Wales is a principality, therefore we have a Prince within the Royal Family. It's a great title that lifts the visibility of Wales globally, wherever the Prince goes with the title." However, others did not have the same opinions. One individual said: "Inherited privilege and entitlement is fundamentally wrong, at the best of times, if we believe in a fair society". Another one said: "We should not be ruled by a monarch. Prince of Wales has no links to Wales or any affiliation, it's absurd."
Interestingly however, a few opposed the idea of an English prince but supported the idea of having a Welsh prince. One person who took part in the survey commented: "Is the Prince of Wales Welsh? As he is not, he shouldn't have such a title. What about giving it to someone who does a lot for the needy, not in terms of money but actually using his / her own hands to help". Another one said: "Wales should pick their own prince in an independent Wales."
But, a few were more concerned about the traditional element of having an investiture ceremony. One person said: "Quite happy to have a Prince of Wales. Don't think Wales has suffered detrimentally with King Charles having the title. No need for the ceremony of an investiture though."
Another one said: "Not a royal family fan, but tradition is tradition. Also an investiture will bring tourism". While another person believed: "The ceremony should be small as it should suit the times".
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