Page images
PDF
EPUB

sities, and all the other great bodies corporate in the kingdom.

A few days after his birth his royal highness was created Prince of Wales by letters patent. This title was first conferred by Edward I. in 1284, upon his son Prince Edward, when the British Prince Llhewelyn was reduced, and his principality incorporated with England. The mode of conferring this dignity is by investiture with a cap, coronet, gold verge, and ring, and by issue of letters patent under the great seal. Notwithstanding the title of Prince of Wales has often merged in the crown, it has never yet been bestowed on any but the heir apparent to the crown.

The Prince of Wales is born Duke of Cornwall, and immediately entitled to all the revenues belonging to that duchy; but as we shall have occasion hereafter to observe, the large revenues

of Cornwall, which should have been suffered to accumulate for the benefit of his royal highness during his minority, were suffered to be diverted into other channels; nor have his fair claims for the restitution of what may properly be called his patrimonial inheritance, though often brought before parliament, yet been acceded to, notwithstanding the opinions of some of the best law authorities have been decidedly in his favour.

The Prince of Wales, as presumptive heir to the crown of Great Britain, is likewise hereditary Steward of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, and Baron of Renfrew. These were titles conferred by Robert III. King of Scotland, on the Prince, his eldest son, in 1399, and perpetually appropriated to the future princes of Scotland, as soon as born. Since the accession of James I. they

have been continued to the Prince of Wales in Great Britain. It may be remarked here as a matter that cannot but occasion some surprise, that the Prince of Wales enjoys no Irish honours; all the junior branches of the royal family are Earls of Ireland, the heir apparent being the only one of his house who does not derive some title of honour from the sister island.

In addition to the dignities above recited, his royal highness was elected a knight companion of the most noble order of the garter in 1765, and installed at Windsor, July 25, 1771.

From the detail of the family descent and hereditary honours of the Prince of Wales, we shall now proceed to give some account of the earlier years of his royal highness's life, and of the plan of education pursued to qualify him to wear with credit to himself and advantage to his subjects

the crown to which he was heir. It is an observation which has been made by more writers than one, that the British nation, so jealous in almost every thing else that regards its princes, has been singularly inattentive to what concerns their education. Parliament, which limits the settlement of the crown, points out the religion of the reigning family, takes cognizance of the marriages of the princes of the blood, and confers on them revenues and establishments, leaves the education of our British princes wholly to the discretion of the reigning sovereign. "It is a matter of prerogative," say the crown lawyers, "with which the two houses of parliament have no right to interfere ;" and therefore, whenever the point has been agitated in the legislature, as has happened in one or two instances, the answer of the friends of the court to those who perceived, or

thought they perceived, something faulty in the system of education pursued with regard to the young princes, has been, that the education of the princes of the blood was a branch of the royal prerogative, with which parliament could not interpose, and that the mere agitation of the subject was derogatory to the honour of the

crown.

This indifference of the great council of the nation in regard to a point so nearly connected with future honour of the executive power, as well as the happiness of those whom they may be called to govern, forms a striking contrast with what was the practice of the Swedish monarchy previous to the revolution effected by Gustavus III. Antecedent to that revolution, the constitution of Sweden was free in the enlarged acceptance of the term, and bore a closer resemblance to that of

« PreviousContinue »