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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Mark Jones

Why some Wales fans booed God Save The King during World Cup clash with England

Wales supporters made their voices heard during their side's World Cup clash with England, with many choosing to boo the England fans' own version of 'God Save The King'.

Although both anthems before the Group B match at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium were well observed, it was when England supporters sang the national anthem midway through the first half that several boos could be heard coming from the end housing the majority of Welsh fans.

The independence movement is currently growing in Wales, and many in the country felt that the title of Prince of Wales should have been discontinued when King Charles ascended to the throne in September upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Instead the Prince of Wales title was immediately passed down to Charles' son William, who is also the president of the English FA.

There was also anger in Wales when Charles opted to visit Cardiff as part of his tour of the home nations following the death of his mother.

Charles visited on September 16, which is Owain Glyndwyr Day in Wales, a day of cultural significance commemorating the day in 1400 when Glyndwyr began an uprising against Henry IV which effectively established Wales as a country.

Wales' spirit of nationalism and independence has formed a key theme of the national team's rise in recent times, with Wales having now qualified for three tournaments in the past six-and-a-half years.

Wales supporters have travelled to Qatar in large numbers (Getty Images)

Their official song for the Qatar World Cup is 'Yma o Hyd' - 'We're still here' - an old folk song which references the country's struggles to survive despite several efforts to suppress both the nation and the language.

One of the leading voices in calling for Wales to be respected and represented in the UK despite England's prominence is the actor Michael Sheen.

After Charles visit in September, Sheen - who also criticised Prince William, the Prince of Wales, for handing out England's caps and wishing them good luck for the tournament, calling it "entirely inappropriate" - said of Charles' visit to Cardiff: "To choose this day, September 16 to come here as his first visit, seems full of meaning.

"On the one hand, if it’s chosen, deliberately, then I’m sure many people will feel that that is quite an insult to those that celebrate Owain Glyndwr who tried to free this nation from the oppression of the English monarch at the time.

“And having been told that the new Prince of Wales would take on those titles with a great sense of humility, and respect, and celebrate the history, the proud history and traditions, of Wales, and it’s quite surprising to see."

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