Investiture of the Prince of Wales The tradition of investing the heir apparent of the English, and subsequently the British, monarch with the title of "Prince of Wales" began in 1301, when King Edward I of England, having completed the conquest of Wales, gave the title to his heir apparent, Prince Edward (later King Edward II of England). Investiture is not necessary to be created Prince of Wales. Peers were also invested, but investitures for peers ceased in 1621, at a time when peerages were being created so frequently that the investiture ceremonies became cumbersome. Most investitures for Princes of Wales were held in front of
Prince of Wales the 12th and 13th centuries, this title evolved into "Prince of Wales" (see "Brut y Tywysogion"). In Latin, the new title was ', and in Welsh it was '. The literal translation of ' is "leader" (compare the cognate Irish word "taoiseach"; the verb ' means "to lead"). Only a handful of native princes had their claim to the overlordship of Wales recognised by the English Crown. The first known to have used such a title was Owain Gwynedd, adopting the title Prince of the Welsh around 1165 after earlier using "rex Waliae" ("King of Wales"). His grandson Llywelyn the