The Princes of Wales - talk on October 18th

Linda Asman (speaker) with Frank Harries, Society President

In this 50th anniversary of the Investiture of the Prince of Wales, it seemed to be fitting to look back at the history of Wales and discover the origins and evolution of the title.  It is a story which takes us back to the beginning of the first century AD and the break up of the Roman Empire; a time when Wales was to emerge as a collection of independent kingdoms managing to hold on to their culture and language in the face of invasion from the Anglo Saxons from the East and Irish from the West. Great leaders emerged with the dream of a united Wales but the failure to achieve this left Wales fragmented in the face of the Norman conquest which ultimately conquered all Welsh resistance with the defeat of the Llewellyn the Last by Edward I.  Edward had his own son, Edward of Caernarfon (later Edward II) declared Prince of Wales and, despite the heroic but ill fated rising of Owain Glyndwr who briefly claimed the title, the title has been passed on to the heirs to the English throne.

The talk also took a look at Pembroke's royal connections and visits through the years ending with a series of photographs from the Society archive, shown to the rousing accompaniment of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No 1.