Why Is There A prince Of Wales And Not a Prince Of England Or Prince Of Scotland?
The tradition of investing the heir apparent to the English throne with the title “Prince of Wales” began in 1301 when Edward I, who having just completed the conquest of Wales, gave the title to his heir, the infant Edward (later Edward II). Since that time, the Prince of Wales has usually been the eldest living son of the reigning King or Queen of England*. According to an apocryphal 16th-century tale, King Edward had promised the Welsh that he would name “a prince born in Wales who did not speak a word of English” whereupon he produced his infant son. —— *The monarch has also reigned over Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) from 1707, and the United Kingdom since 1801.
