Prince Charles may be said to have had a lucky escape. There was a state of high security in Caernarfon on the day of his investiture as Prince of Wales. After all, Wales had had its own prince, native-born, named Owain Glyndwr, who had established a Welsh Parliament in Machynlleth, centuries before the Assembly was set up in Cardiff and the wheels of devolution were set in motion. Caernarfon was indeed tense and everyone was on high alert at the castle which had been built as a stronghold by King Edward I as he set out to subjugate the Welsh and ring Gwynedd with bastions of stone. There was indeed a bomb plot which was uncovered in the nick of time and the prince was able to complete his investiture as Prince of Wales and return to the palace in London unscathed.
Wales has now matured as a nation and has gained in stature and confidence, retaining its own true culture and language in the face of great odds. It is a kind of miracle. It is unlikely that an investiture will ever be held again, at least in Wales, and the government must be well aware of the sensitivity of such an occasion, insulting to some, among a people who have suffered past indignities and have been cowed by feelings of inferiority and despair, even desperation. Wales is a nation reborn from the ashes of the British Empire and it is quite likely that the investiture of Charles, Duke of Cornwall will be the last.
"The Nineteenth century saw a great Springtime of Nations as the revolutions of 1848 saw new countries created the length and breadth of Europe. In our world today we are now seeing our own Spring Awakening with people and cultures that have long been dormant and subdued asserting their right to exist, their right to dream." Adam Price MP
3 comments:
how about demanding, that anyone who takes the title Prince of Wales is automatically forbidden from accepting any other title or crown, in particular those to do with England, Scotland and what's left of the British Empire!
IF Charles becomes King (looking doubtful, his age), then I would hope he (and whatever government is in power at the time) would have more sense and empathy than to force another POW on us. If they DID, they would be completely ignoring general Welsh opinion (whats new), and they could rightly expect mass resistance and protest.
A suggestion. Every self-respecting Welsh person should stop saying "Prince of Wales" whenever referring to Prince Charles. He is merely - like his cousins in the rest of Europe - the Crown Prince. Call him that. De-couple him from our territory.
Our problem then goes away. Simples.
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