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The Lost Princes of Wales

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BBC Radio Wales - The Lost Princes of Wales

Myfanwy Alexander tells the stories of the Princes of Wales who never became King

Fifty years after Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales, Myfanwy Alexander takes a fresh look at the role, telling the stories of three Princes who never became King.

Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales on 1st July 1969. Fifty years on, Myfanwy Alexander considers the lives of some of his predecessors who never ascended to the throne - the kings we never had.  She takes a wry look at the princes who never became Arthur I, Henry IX and Fredrick I, uncovering strange tales, untold stories and fascinating characters whose lives and deaths changed the course of history.  In search of the Lost Princes, she discovers feuding families, thwarted love and the odd disembowelled heart.  

There are many resonances in these stories which strike a modern note, with Arthur’s death resulting in the first Brexit crisis, Henry insisting on the use of a swear-box by his courtiers and Prince Fred falling in love with a beautiful young aristocrat called Lady Diana Spencer.   A Queen in meltdown, a nine year old boy  with a liking for wine and cards, a horse in the aisle of a cathedral: vivid moments from extraordinary lives.   

And how would history have changed if these Princes had survived? Had Arthur lived, for example, what would his border links have meant for Wales?  Could Henry IX have avoided the Civil War which cost his brother his head? And might Fred, with his deep interest in America, have kept the US in the British Empire, creating a Canada reaching from the Arctic to Mexico?   

Myfanwy Alexander tells the history through the eyes of a modern satirist: contributions from lively experts are enriched by music connected to the Princes themselves. Tales of power, passion and, of course, cricket, given a contemporary Welsh twist.

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