Druids strip Queen of her ancient honorary title she gained as a princess because she doesn’t speak Welsh
- Elizabeth was invested as Honorary Ovate of the Bards of Wales aged 20
- She dressed up in green robes and an ancient sword was passed over her head
- But now she has been deprived of her title due to a lack of language ability
As our head of state the Queen holds a wealth of titles and honours.
But it seems she is now one down – after being stripped of an ancient druidic role in Wales because she doesn’t speak Welsh.
As a 20-year-old princess, Elizabeth was invested as Honorary Ovate of the Bards of Wales at the National Eisteddfod in 1946.
The Queen has been ‘excommunicated’ from the druidic order the Gorsedd of the Bards of Wales. Pictured right: A druid at Stonehenge
She dressed up in green robes and an ancient sword was passed over her head as she was given the bardic name ‘Elisabeth o Windsor’. It was part of a move to affiliate the Royal Family more closely with Wales at a time when nationalism was on the rise.
But it emerged yesterday that the Queen has been ‘excommunicated’ from the druidic order the Gorsedd of the Bards of Wales following a ruling in 2006.
Speaking at this year’s Eisteddfod in Llanrwst, North Wales, current archdruid Myrddin ap Dafydd said: ‘She excommunicated herself in 2006 when it was made clear you had to speak Welsh to be a member of the Gorsedd.’
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the comments. But a spokeswoman said: ‘The Royal Family has a rich history of celebrating Welsh culture and language.’