A Welsh council has voted in favour of a motion calling for the Prince of Wales title to be abolished. Plaid Cymru councillor Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn tabled the Gwynedd Council motion which dubbed the monarchy an "archaic oppressive tradition".
Last month King Charles named his son William as the new Prince of Wales in his first public address as monarch. The title has been controversial since the last Welsh Prince of Wales, Dafydd ap Gruffydd, was brutally killed in 1283 on the order of Edward I of England, who later gave his 16-year-old son Edward II the title.
Gwynedd councillors voted by 46 to four in support of Mr ap Elwyn's motion while four abstained, the BBC reports. The council does not have the authority to officially end the title. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The then-Prince Charles' investiture at Caernarfon Castle in 1969 drew protests from groups including Cymdeithas yr Iaith, Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru and the Free Wales Army. WalesOnline reported last month that the new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, wanted to "quell some concerns" around the investiture. An event similar to 1969's is off the table and there may not even be a formal investiture ceremony, WalesOnline understands.
Mr ap Elwyn, who represents Bowydd and Rhiw, told BBC Radio Cymru he wanted "relevant authorities to consult formally with the people of Wales on the question of whether the title should be abolished or not". The councillor added: "Wales today is a modern, democratic country, with a Senedd making progress, giving the people of Wales a voice and a platform to drive change and develop the nation.
"This archaic oppressive tradition is a blight on our nation and has been for centuries. It gives the impression that the people of Wales are owned by the system, rather than being free citizens living in our own country... It makes no sense, in my view, that so much public money is used to sustain the royal family, including the Prince of Wales role, given the cost of living crisis that our people are suffering up and down the country."
In his motion he called for the council to "express its opposition to the continuation of the title". He also asked the council to oppose any investiture of the prince in Gwynedd or elsewhere in Wales.
Prince William and Princess Catherine are understood to be "very clear [the title] is a long-term thing". A Kensington Palace source said they wanted to "deepen trust" with the Welsh public by frequently visiting Wales — including a trip to Cardiff before Christmas and the recent visits to Swansea and Anglesey. They are said to be keen to "use the platform they have to take the dynamic nation of Wales to the global stage".
More than 36,000 people have signed a petition against the title being passed on. Wales' first Presiding Officer, Dafydd Elis-Thomas, recently spoke to ITV about a conversation he once had with King Charles on the subject. "In discussions with him when he was still Prince of Wales, when I had cultural responsibilities in the Welsh Government, one of the issues I did raise with him was that I hoped there would never again be an investiture in Caernarfon Castle," he said. “[Charles] laughed and said: ‘Do you think I want to put William through what I went through?'”
First Minister Mark Drakeford has said there should be "no rush" to plan an investiture ceremony. He added that there was time to come to a "conclusion on what might be suitable for the best way forward". You can read more on that here.
Plaid leader Adam Price said there should be a "public debate" on the title. "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," he said. You can read our special report about the Prince of Wales title, a devolved nation and what its future should be here.
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