Rhondda AM Leighton Andrews is reported as demanding that Cambria’s ‘editor’ apologise for claiming that Rhondda schoolchildren were forced to turn out “North Korean-style” during a visit to the area by Prince William in May. Henry Jones Davies (Cambria’s publisher, not its editor as Andrews stated) made the remarks on BBC Wales’s Dragon’s Eye programme in June.

Andrews is quoted as saying: “This magazine is running a campaign to prevent Prince William being invested as Prince of Wales.” Not true. Certainly a report on the icambria weblog revealed a new PR offensive in Wales by the Royal Family’s spin-doctors, but the magazine has never covered the story. Out of this report grew a petition aimed at sending a ‘shot across the bows’ of the British establishment in the event that it was contemplating another investiture similar to the event staged in 1969 at the behest of the then Secretary of State for Wales, the egregious George Thomas. The ceremony was widely seen as part of a strategy to counter the rising tide of nationalism at the time.

Cambria’s publisher said today: “This is the typical sort of impudent response from a breed of London-centric politicians who fall over themselves in sycophantic frenzy to kow-tow to the British establishment whenever and wherever possible. Presumably they do so in the hope of being tossed some meaningless bauble of an honour when they have fawned enough.

They have little understanding of Welsh history and even less respect for it. Devolution is, as Ron Davies so rightly said, a process – not an event. The inexorable development of that process – now forging ahead – will lead, inevitably, to full self-government – independence – for Wales, and the attainment of a sovereignty which will belong to the Welsh nation and to it alone. Young people in Wales, and this will include, when they are old enough to speak for themselves, the young people of the Rhondda, are not remotely concerned with the trappings of monarchy and all the paraphernalia of patronage and condescension that goes with it. Their loyalty is to their country and they are becoming aware of a new reality: the bright future and the dignity that independence will bring.”