Another royal mess

Simon Hobson

The latest scandal around Prince Andrew isn’t just one man’s shame. It’s a warning. The royal household is rotten, unaccountable, and out of touch with modern democracy. For Wales, a nation rediscovering its own political voice, the question is clear: why do we still subjugate ourselves to it?

Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir has reignited scrutiny of Andrew’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Once again, the monarchy is drowning in disgrace. Seven hundred and forty-one years after Cymru was forced under English rule, we are still subjects of the English Crown. That should shame us.

Our public institutions answer to voters. The royals answer to no one.

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The case for a Welsh Republic

Across Britain, belief in the monarchy is collapsing. The latest NatCen survey recorded the lowest support in its history, and a rising appetite for republican alternatives. The Crown’s authority is cracking. If its power rests on public consent, that consent has all but vanished. Wales should seize this moment, not shy away from it.

There are three clear reasons for change: democracy, self-determination, and moral decency.

1. Democracy first: An elected head of state serves the people. A monarch serves only tradition. Wales now has a mature democracy, a Senedd that makes real laws and shapes lives. Yet our head of state is still chosen by birth. It’s a contradiction we can’t defend. A Welsh republic would put leadership where it belongs: in the hands of the people.

2. Self-determination: Wales is already making independent choices on tax, health, and education. Why should our head of state represent a United Kingdom that has failed our communities, our young people, and our future? Even senior figures in Westminster now openly discuss independence, republicanism and the end of the United Kingdom. In that conversation, Wales should lead, finishing the democratic project we began when we created our own Senedd.

3. Moral responsibility: Prince Andrew’s saga exposes a deeper rot: privilege without consequence. The Crown hides behind secrecy and soft power. Scandal never brings accountability. A Welsh republic, built on law and equality, would strip away that immunity. No one above the law. No family beyond scrutiny. That’s how a decent country works.

Answering the doubters

Some will say we should keep the monarchy for the sake of tourism, history, or stability. But these are excuses, not arguments. Modern republics thrive with ceremony intact. Presidents in Ireland and Germany carry out symbolic roles with dignity and democracy.

Wales could do the same, keeping castles and pageantry while ending inherited rule. Let’s stop pretending that republicanism means chaos. It means political accountability. A Wales in which profits from the Crown Estate and our resource go into a Welsh sovereign wealth fund: money for building Cymru’s future not balancing London’s books and private wealth.

Republicanism doesn’t erase our history; it finally lets us own it.

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A chance to lead

Support for the monarchy is fading across Britain. Wales can lead this change: calmly, confidently, democratically. We don’t need to wait for London to give permission. We can start with a cross-party constitutional convention to design a Welsh republic that fits our values: open, fair, and accountable.

This isn’t about one prince. It’s about power: who holds it, and who answers for it. The royal system has protected privilege for centuries. It still does. Every new scandal proves the same point: a system built on inherited power will always protect itself first.

The tide is turning. The monarchy is losing its moral authority. The idea of independence is growing. And republican movements in Wales are gathering momentum. We can keep waiting for the next royal disgrace or we can act with purpose.

Now is the moment for:

•  a national conversation,
•  a citizens’ assembly,
•  a referendum,
•  a new beginning.

Wales doesn’t need a king. It needs courage and the confidence to stand as a modern republic.