A POST BOX painted to commemorate the upcoming coronation of King Charles III has been covered in welsh independence stickers just hours after it was unveiled in Cardiff. The decorated postbox, located outside the Owain Glyndwr pub, has been one of four postboxes placed across the UK to celebrate the event. It features the official emblem of the coronation and is painted in the colours of the Union Jack – white, red, and blue.
However, some have found the location of the postbox to be especially provocative, as it stands outside a pub named after Wales’ last native Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndwr. On Wednesday, attempts were made to deface the postbox with various stickers, including a pro-Welsh nationalist sticker that reads “CPD Cefn Hengoed Gweriniaeth Cymru” (Republic of Wales). The stickers were later removed after a social media backlash.
The coronation of King Charles III, set to take place on Saturday, has been met with mixed reactions in Wales. Some have questioned the choice of location for the postbox, while others have criticised the use of English-only language on the decorated postbox. One Twitter user described the installation as “disrespectful”, while another wrote “We don’t want this” and “pretty tone deaf”.
The history of Owain Glyndwr, after whom the pub is named, is significant in the context of Welsh nationalism. Glyndwr was a medieval Welsh nationalist leader who organised a rebellion against the usurping English king, Henry IV, in 1400. He claimed the title of Prince of Wales and led a 15-year-long revolt aimed at ending English rule in Wales. Glyndwr was the last native-born Welshman to hold the title of Prince of Wales.
The title of Prince of Wales was first instituted in 1307 by King Edward I, who invested his eldest son, Edward II, as the first English Prince of Wales in an attempt to symbolise that Wales was under the control of the English crown. The traditional ostrich feather badge and the motto ‘Ich dien’ (‘I serve’ in German) was adopted by Edward.
The Royal Mail is also commemorating the coronation with four new stamps, including one featuring King Charles being crowned, and celebrating the multi-faith and biodiversity causes Charles has made his life’s work. The postbox outside the Owain Glyndwr pub in Cardiff is part of this wider celebration of the coronation, but it remains to be seen how the installation will be received by locals and visitors alike.
