by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

The current Prince of Wales is William, the elder son and heir apparent of King Charles III of the United Kingdom. Prince of Wales is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and British throne. The heir apparent is the person who is first in the line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting the throne by the birth of another person. Usually, the heir apparent has been the eldest son of the Sovereign but not always. Twice, the heir apparent was the grandson of the Sovereign. The fathers of the future Richard II and George III both predeceased their own fathers leaving their sons as the heir apparent.

From 1254, the title Earl of Chester had been granted to the heir apparent but starting in 1343, it has been given together with the title Prince of Wales. Neither titles are automatic and must be created for each person.

The Succession to The Crown Act 2013, which formally went into effect on March 26, 2015, put in place absolute primogeniture, which means that for those born after October 28, 2011, the eldest child born becomes the heir to his or her parent, regardless of gender. Someday in the future, it is likely that there will be a female heir apparent to the British throne. Because there is no charter or any other document regarding the Prince of Wales title, it appears that the Sovereign can bestow the title on a female heir apparent at his or her will and pleasure using the royal prerogative.

All children of The Prince of Wales are styled HRH Prince/Princess <First Name> of Wales, as is now the style of the elder son of the current Prince of Wales: HRH Prince George of Wales.

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History

The tradition of conferring the title Prince of Wales on the heir apparent of the monarch began in 1301, when King Edward I of England invested his son Edward of Caernarvon (the future King Edward II) with the title at a Parliament held in Lincoln, England. Since then, the title has been granted (with a few exceptions) to the heir apparent of the English or British monarch. However, it should be no surprise that the title Prince of Wales originated in the independent Principality of Wales and that if King Edward I conferred the title upon his son, he played a role in the conquest and annexation of the Principality of Wales.

The Native Princes of Wales

Wales was divided into a number of separate kingdoms. The largest of these was Gwynedd in northwest Wales and Powys in east Wales. Gwynedd was the most powerful of the Welsh kingdoms. For one man to rule all of Wales during this period was rare. This was because of the inheritance system practiced in Wales. All sons received an equal share of their father’s property, including illegitimate sons, resulting in the division of territories.

Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (circa 1173 – 1240) (Note: “ap” means “son of”), later known as Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great) was the longest reigning ruler of Welsh principalities, maintaining control for 45 years. He was Prince of Gwynedd and Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn. In 1216, Llewellyn received the fealty of other Welsh lords and although he never used the title, he was the de facto Prince of Wales. Llywelyn dominated Wales for 45 years, and was one of only two Welsh rulers to be called “the Great”, the other being his ancestor Rhodri the Great.

Dafydd ap Llywelyn (circa 1212 – 1246) succeeded his father Llywelyn the Great. He was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246 and the first ruler to claim the title Prince of Wales. Dafydd’s mother, known as Joan, Lady of Wales, was an illegitimate daughter of King John of England. King Henry III of England, who was Dafydd’s maternal uncle, accepted his claim to rule Gwynedd, but he was not in favor of allowing Dafydd to retain his father’s Welsh land outside Gwynedd. This led Dafydd to seek out other alliances including one with King Louis IX of France. In August 1241, King Henry III invaded Gwynedd, and after a short campaign, Dafydd was forced to submit. Under the terms of the Treaty of Gwerneigron, he had to give up all his lands outside Gwynedd. Dafydd and Henry III, who was Dafydd’s maternal uncle, continued to battle over Welsh land, with each having victories and losses.

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (circa 1223 – 1282), a grandson of Llywelyn the Great, succeeded his paternal uncle Dafydd ap Llywelyn. Llywelyn came to terms with King Henry III of England and in 1247, signed the Treaty of Woodstock at Woodstock Palace in England. In 1258, Llywelyn received the homage of all the other Welsh princes and assumed the style Prince of Wales which was officially recognized by King Henry III. The uneasy peace with England ended in 1282. By that time, King Edward I had reigned in England for ten years. In the spring of that year, Llywelyn’s brother, Dafydd ap Gruffudd, attacked the English at Hawarden Castle and then laid siege to Rhuddlan Castle. The revolt quickly spread to other parts of Wales.

On December 11, 1282, at the Battle of Orewin Bridge, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was killed while separated from his army. His head was then hacked off and sent to London for public display. After being displayed in the city pillory for a day, the head was taken to the Tower of London and set up over the gate. It was still on the Tower of London gate fifteen years later.

In June 1282, Llywelyn’s wife Eleanor de Montfort had given birth to their only child, a daughter named Gwenllian, and then she died due to childbirth complications. Eleanor de Monfort was the daughter of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England, the daughter of King John. That would make Eleanor de Monfort the first cousin of King Edward I. The infant Gwenllian was placed in a convent, Gilbertine Priory in Sempringham, England, where she was basically imprisoned until her death 54 years later. Her first cousin once removed, King Edward I, wanted to prevent her from marrying and having sons who might claim the Principality of Wales.

Dafydd ap Gruffydd (1238 – 1283) succeeded his brother as Prince of Wales and was the last independent ruler of the Principality of Wales. His reign did not even last for a year. Within a month after Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s death, King Edward I of England had the main areas of Wales encircled with a massive army. Ultimately, Dafydd was captured and was the first person known to have been tried and condemned to death for high treason against the King. King Edward I made sure that Dafydd’s execution would be slow and agonizing. He was the first prominent person to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Dafydd was dragged through the streets of Shrewsbury, England attached to a horse’s tail, then hanged and revived, next he was disemboweled, and finally, his entrails were burned before him. Lastly, his body was cut into four quarters.

Like King Edward I had done with Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s daughter, he also made sure Dafydd’s children would never reproduce and have heirs. Dafydd’s daughter Gwladys was sent to a convent in Sixhills, Lincolnshire, England where she died in 1336. Dafydd’s two sons were both imprisoned at Bristol Castle for the rest of their lives. Llywelyn ap Dafydd died in mysterious circumstances in 1287 and Owain ap Dafydd, who was kept in a cage, was last known to be alive in 1325.

After the brutal conquest of Wales and the destruction of the ruling family, Wales was stripped of all royal insignia, relics, and regalia. King Edward I took particular delight in appropriating Aber Garth Celyn, the royal home of the defeated dynasty. He then took their title, Prince of Wales, and bestowed it upon his heir.

• Wikipedia: Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England

The native Princes of Wales are among the characters in Sharon Penman‘s historical fiction trilogy, The Welsh Trilogy:

• Here Be Dragons (1985)
• Falls The Shadow (1988)
• The Reckoning (1991)

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Prince of Wales as Title of English and British Heirs Apparent

(Years after the names are birth and death years, names in bold became King)

Name	Parent	Created Prince of Wales	Acceded to the Throne
Edward of Carnarvon (1284 – 1327)	King Edward I	February 7, 1301	Acceded to throne as Edward II on July 7, 1307
Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376)	King Edward III	May 12, 1343	Predeceased his father and never became king
Richard of Bordeaux (1367 – 1400)	Son of Edward the Black Prince, grandson of King Edward III	November 20, 1376	Succeeded his grandfather Edward III on June 22, 1377 as Richard II
Henry of Monmouth (1386 – 1422)	King Henry IV	October 15, 1399	Acceded to throne as Henry V on March 21, 1413
Edward of Westminster (1453 – 1471)	King Henry VI	March 15, 1454	Father deposed on April 11, 1471, Edward killed in battle May 4, 1471
Edward of York (1470 -1483?)	King Edward IV	June 26, 1471	Acceded to throne as Edward V on April 9, 1483
Edward of Middleham (1473 – 1484)	King Richard III	August 24, 1483	Predeceased his father, father lost crown via conquest
Arthur Tudor (1486 – 1502)	King Henry VII	November 29, 1489	Predeceased his father and never became king
Henry Tudor (1491 – 1547)	King Henry VII	February 18, 1504	Acceded to throne as Henry VIII on April 21, 1509
Edward Tudor (1537 – 1553)	King Henry VIII	Never formally created Prince of Wales but used the title	Acceded to throne as Edward VI on January 28, 1547
Henry Frederick Stuart (1594 – 1612)	King James I	June 4, 1610	Predeceased his father and never became king
Charles Stuart (1600 – 1649)	King James I	November 4, 1616	Acceded to throne as Charles I on March 27, 1625
Charles Stuart (1630 – 1685)	King Charles I	Declared Prince of Wales circa 1638–1641	Acceded as Charles II on January 30, 1649, monarchy abolished, monarchy restored in 1660
James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender (1688 – 1766)	King James II	Circa July 4, 1688	Forfeited title when James II was declared to have abdicated on December 11, 1688
Prince George (1683 – 1760)	King George I	September 27, 1714	Acceded to the throne as George II on June 11, 1727
Prince Frederick (1707 – 1751)	King George II	January 8, 1729	Predeceased his father and never became king
Prince George (1738 – 1820)	Son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, grandson of George II	April 20, 1751	Succeeded his grandfather George II as George III on October 25, 1760
Prince George (1762 – 1830)	King George III	August 19, 1762	Acceded to throne as George IV on January 29, 1820
Prince Albert Edward (1841 – 1910)	Queen Victoria	December 8, 1841	Acceded to throne as Edward VII on January 22, 1901
Prince George (1865 – 1936)	King Edward VII	November 9, 1901	Acceded to throne as George V on May 6, 1910
Prince Edward (1894 – 1972)	King George V	June 23, 1910	Acceded to throne as Edward VIII on January 20, 1936, abdicated on December 11, 1936, later Duke of Windsor
Prince Charles (born 1948)	Queen Elizabeth II	July 26, 1958	Acceded to throne as Charles III on September 8, 2022
Prince William (born 1982)	King Charles III	September 9, 2022

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