Welsh republicanism (Welsh:Gweriniaetholdeb Gymreig) orrepublicanism in Wales (Welsh:Gweriniaetholdeb yng Nghymru) is the political ideology that advocates forWales to be governed by arepublican system, as opposed to themonarchy of the United Kingdom.
Typically, this ideology is suggested as an element of forming anindependent Wales, but can also be considered as part ofreforming the political system of theUnited Kingdom, which could includeintroducing an elected official as head of state. It is not synonymous with Welsh independence, but one possible form of government, asWales before English rule had native monarchies, and most of the prominent independence organisations do not explicitly support republicanism. While theWales Green Party supports a republic and would support independencein a referendum.
During theMiddle Ages and since theRoman Empire left the island of Britain, Wales had many monarchical states most notably the kingdoms ofGwynedd,Powys, andDeuheubarth. The most significant Welsh royal house was theHouse of Gwynedd which started inc. 401 and its cadet branches,Aberffraw,Dinefwr, andMathrafal.[1]
The legendaryKing Arthur is embedded in Welsh tradition and national stories through his battles for Celtic independence from the encroachment of Anglo-Saxon forces. Many Welsh leaders referencedKing Arthur's messianic return to save the Welsh people and to lead rebellions against England.[citation needed]
Welsh unification fluctuated over time between different kingdoms, including the Anglo-Norman Kingdom of England which held land in southern Wales from the late 11th century.Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd formally united Wales at theCouncil of Aberdyfi in 1216 under the Principality of Wales with the title Prince of Wales.[2] The title ofPrince of Wales was used not as one subservient to a king (as it is now), but to invoke the Roman Imperial title ofprinceps.[citation needed]
Some native Welsh nobles would continue to hold a few positions of power or status in Wales after English conquest.Owain Glyndŵr as a member of the House of Mathrafal shortly reasserted Wales and an independent principality of Wales 1400–1409. The WelshTudors of Penmynydd were a prominent royal house which supported Glyndŵr, and would then become English monarchs afterHenry VII won theWar of the Roses.[3]
In the 13th century, the last Prince of Wales,Llywelyn the Last was forced into an agreement byEdward I of England that saw Llywelyn withdraw his powers to Gwynedd only. In 1282 whilst attempting to gather support in Cilmeri near Builth Wells, Llywelyn was killed by one of Edward's soldiers. Llywelyn's brother,Dafydd ap Gruffydd briefly led a force in Wales, but was captured and laterhanged, drawn and quartered by Edward, thus ending Welsh independence.[4][5]
Since conquest, there have beenWelsh rebellions against English rule. The last, and the most significant revolt was theGlyndŵr Rising of 1400–1415, which briefly restored independence.Owain Glyndŵr held the first Welsh parliament (Senedd) inMachynlleth in 1404 where he was proclaimed Prince of Wales and a second parliament in 1405 inHarlech. Following the eventual defeat of the Glyndŵr rebellion and a brief period of independence, it wasn't until 1999 that a Welsh legislative body was re-established as the National Assembly of Wales which was renamedSenedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament in 2020.[6][7]
In the 16th century, KingHenry VIII of theTudor dynasty, (a royal house of Welsh origin) and theEnglish parliament, passed theLaws in Wales Acts, also referred to as the "Acts of Union", which incorporated Wales fully into theKingdom of England.[8]
Cliff Bere, a founder of theWelsh Republican Movement, stated in the early 1950s, "The English Crown still forms an important part of the English machinery of domination, accusing politicians of all hues of being willing to avail themselves of the English crown's usefulness … as a means of maintaining domination upon the Celtic nations of Britain".[9]
The1969 investiture ofCharles, Prince of Wales, saw strong opposition from Welsh nationalists, with the situation described before the investiture as "something close to open warfare between the Government's police and young people of Wales".[10]
TheWelsh Socialist Republican Movement was a short lived political group that emerged following the1979 devolution referendum which campaigned for anindependent and socialist Welsh independent republic.[11]
The song "Charles Windsor" by the English indie pop bandMcCarthy was covered by the Welsh rock bandManic Street Preachers on their 1994 EPLife Becoming a Landslide. It includes lyrics describing the deposing of Charles.[12]
Wales' largest pro-independence party,Plaid Cymru andGwlad, both have a neutral position and propose a referendum after independence on the future status of the monarchy in Wales. Plaid Cymru has a number of republican members and supporters, including former party leaderLeanne Wood.[13][14]
Bethan Sayed MS argued in 2019 that Senedd members should not have to swear an oath of allegiance to the queen, and instead should be allowed to swear an oath of allegiance, loyalty and service to the people of Wales.[15]
In September 2021, the pressure groupRepublic crowdfunded billboards across Britain calling for the abolition of the monarchy, with billboards appearing in Wales in Aberdare, Swansea and Cardiff declaring in bothWelsh andEnglish that "Wales doesn't need a prince", referring to Charles.[16][17]
TheWales Green Party support a Welsh republic in the event that Wales becomes independent.[18] The party has stated that if a referendum were to be held on the matter of Welsh independence then it would support Welsh independence.[19]
In 2021 theWelsh Underground Network was formed. The network is amass organisation that undertakes community work and has stated its commitment to the creation of asocialist republic of Wales.[20] The network is fraternally linked toPlaid Gomiwnyddol Cymru.[21]
Propel andSovereign Wales do not hold a position on the monarchy or a future Head of State in an independent Wales,[22][23] whilstSocialist Party Wales advocate a 'socialist Wales as part of a socialist federation of Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland'.[24]
First minister of Wales,Mark Drakeford has stated that there will be future discussions about an elected head of state in Wales, but "not this week" during the period of mourning for the Queen.[25]
A minority of crowd of protesters opposed to the British monarch attended events in Cardiff that proclaimed the accession ofCharles III.[26] Upon Charles' visit toCardiff Castle, a silent protest against the monarchy will be held by trade unions,Labour for an Independent Wales and equality campaigners, led byBethan Sayed.[27]
CNN described Wales as the most 'hostile' country to Charles' visit. One man said: "While we struggle to heat our homes, we have to pay for your parade." King Charles sighed, saying "oh" and turned away. The man then said "We pay £100 million a year for you, and for what?". Protestors outsideCardiff Castle held banners including the phrases "Abolish the Monarchy", "Citizen not subject", "Democracy now".[28]
Senedd member forMid and West Wales region,[29]Cefin Campbell asked in the current "more inclusive" and "egalitarian" society, whether "we need a monarchy at all".[30]
Laura McAllister, Welsh academic, formerinternational footballer and senior sports administrator has said of the monarchy, "I'm a republican but, if I'm honest, it's pretty low on my own list of priorities. A hereditary sovereign most definitely isn't the representation of my nation that I'd choose, but I care more about poverty, education and climate change than I do about this particular debate."[31]
ThePrince Charles's 1969 investiture was "largely welcomed" in Wales,[32] but protests also took place in the days leading up to the ceremony.[33][34] Multiple Welsh organisations and individuals were against the event, includingDafydd Iwan,[35]Edward Millward,[36] Cofia 1282 ('Remember 1282'),[37] and theWelsh Language Society.[38] On the day of the investiture, a few protesters were arrested.[39]
Since then, further prominent organisations and figures in Wales have called for an end to the titlePrince of Wales. This includesPlaid Cymru MP,Adam Price, who called in 2006 for a referendum to end thePrince of Wales title.[40] Welsh actorMichael Sheen returned hisOBE in 2017, so he could campaign to end the title.[41]
FollowingCharles III's accession to the throne on 8 September 2022, LordDafydd Elis-Thomas suggested to the media that the Prince of Wales title had "no meaning to it in the constitution" and could be discontinued.[42] When the title was passed toPrince William within a few days, further opposition was voiced.[43] The campaign group,Republic, raised £25,000 to put up billboards declaring "Wales doesn't need a prince".[44] A petition was launched calling for the abolition of the title 'Prince of Wales', which had received over 35,000 signatures.[45] First MinisterMark Drakeford,[46] Adam Price MS,[47]Jane Dodds MS,[48] andYesCymru[49] acknowledged a potential for a debate or have suggested potential for Welsh decision. On the 6 October,Gwynedd Council, the local authority where Charles was invested, voted to declare opposition to the title of 'Prince of Wales' and against holding another investiture in Wales.[50]
In 2019, a Focaldata poll commissioned byUnHerd revealed that support for theBritish royal family in Wales ("I am a strong supporter of the continued reign of the Royal Family") was lowest inSwansea East at 40% (21% opposed) and highest inMontgomeryshire at 61% (18% opposed), with no overall figures for Wales available.[70]
The latest poll byYouGov was held in March 2022. The poll asked 3,041 people in Wales for their views on the monarchy which showed that 55% support the monarchy whilst 28% would prefer an elected head of state (66.3% versus 33.7% excluding don't knows/ambivalent).[71]
An opinion poll by Omnisis in February 2022 showed 52% in favour of the monarchy and 48% against.[72] An opinion poll by Omnisis in May 2022 showed 57% supporting the monarchy and 43% against in Wales, but only had 42 people in Wales in the sample.[72][73][74]
 | This graph was using thelegacy Graph extension, which is no longer supported. It needs to be converted to thenew Chart extension. |
| Polling date | Polling organisation and client | Sample size | Support the monarchy | Support an elected head of state | Do not know | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3–15 March 2023 | Lord Ashcroft[75] | 659 | 54% | 23% | 23% | 31% |
| 17–23 February 2023 | YouGov / WalesOnline[76] | 1,083 | 52% | 28% | 11% | 25% |
| March 2022 | YouGov / Cardiff University[71] | 3,041 | 55% | 28% | 17% | 27% |
| November 2019 | Focaldata / Unherd[77] | 21,119 (UK) (Wales not specified) | 48% | 25% | 28% | 23% |
| 7–23 February 2019 | ICM Unlimited / BBC Wales[78] | 1,000 | 62% | 18% | 2% | 44% |
| May 2018 | DeltaPoll / Policy Exchange[79][80] | 513 | 49% | 18% | 6% | 31% |
| 12–24 June 2009 | Beaufort Research / BBC[81][82] | 922 | 59% | 29% | - | 30% |
| 1999 | Beaufort Research / BBC[83] | 1,000 | 62% | - | - | - |
| Age group | Support the monarchy | Support an elected head of state | Do not know | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16–24 | 28% | 20% | ||
| 25–49 | 43% | 28% | 15% | |
| 50–64 | 61% | |||
| 65+ | 69% | 20% | 49% |
| Date(s) conducted | Polling organisation and client | Sample size | Support | Oppose | Undecided | Other | Lead | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15–23 March 2023 | Lord Ashcroft[75] | 659 | 51% | 32% | 17% | 19% | "Some argue that the Prince and Princess of Wales have no real connection to Wales, and that the titles should be abolished. Others think it is a valuable " | |
| 20–22 September 2022[84] | YouGov / Barn Cymru | 1,014 | 66% | 22% | 12% | – | 44% | Non-standard question: Do you support or oppose Prince William being titled Prince of Wales? |
| June 2022[85] | YouGov / ITV | – | 46% | 31% | 23% | – | 15% | |
| 2019[86][87] | ICM / BBC Wales | – | 50% | 22% | 28% | – | 28% | |
| 2018[88] | YouGov / ITV Wales | – | 57% | 22% | 16% | Neither: 5% | 35% | |
| 12–24 June 2009[81][82] | BBC | 922 | 58% | 26% | – | 42% | 32% | |
| 1999[83] | Beaufort Research / BBC Wales | – | 73% | – | – | 27% | 46% | Opposition and don't knows not specified. Non-standard sample: onlyWelsh speakers asked. |
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Writing to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the expedition in 2003, Morris wryly observes that her role in reporting the successful ascent was "very improbabl[e], for I am a lifelong republican", nevertheless describing the coincidence of the queen's coronation and the breaking news of Everest's conquest as 'a happy conjunction'.
