Fresh stamp of authority for last independent Prince of Wales

Mar 1 2008 by Sally Williams, Western Mail

SELF-PROCLAIMED Prince of Wales Owain Glyndr features on a new set of stamps celebrating the Royal Houses of the British Monarchy.

The Welsh Prince, who led a revolt against the English Crown between 1400 and 1409, appears in The Houses of Lancaster and York set.

As the last person to claim the title of independent Prince of Wales, Ow- ain Glyndr, born into the Welsh aristocracy around 1350, held a Welsh Parliament in Machynlleth.

A Royal Mail spokesman said, “This is the first in a series of six sets entitled Kings and Queens, which celebrates the Royal Houses of the British Monarchy.

“Issued over the forthcoming years, each royal retrospective will feature portraits of the monarchs from different reigns spanning more than 600 years of British history.”

Henry IV features on the first class stamp. The monarch led a successful campaign against Glyndr and his rebels, although Glyndr was never captured, according to Martin Hackett, a Mid Wales battle historian.

He said, “Glyndr would have been an even more important figure if he had overthrown Henry IV.

“If Glyndr had not been held up and instead had made it across the River Severn to meet Hotspur at the Battle of Shrewsbury, the Battle of Agincourt might not have taken place and the whole course of history would have changed.”

Glyndr first appeared on a Royal Mail stamp in 1974 as part of a set entitled Medieval Warriors.

Other Welsh-themed stamps have included the Welsh Definitives, issued in 1999, and last year’s Welsh Scenes.