Princess of Wales may become Welsh football patron after Michael Sheen blasts William over World Cup

KING CHARLES 

Sheen said the King and Queen Consort’s recent visit to Wales could be seen as ‘insensitive to the point of insulting’.

According to the Welsh actor, because the trip fell on an important historic date, it could be seen as ‘insensitive’ if the royals chose that date on purpose.

September 16 marks Owain Glyndŵr day. The same day in 1400 is when Glyndŵr began a 15-year uprising against the then-king of England, Henry IV, after which his followers would proclaim him Prince of Wales. 

The revolt is considered to be the last Welsh war of independence and Glyndŵr has since been viewed as a figurehead of Welsh nationalism and the independence movement. 

Normally, thousands celebrate the life and legacy of the ‘rebel’ Prince of Wales.   

However, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a number of Glyndŵr day events were cancelled, prompting disappointment and anger in some communities, with some hosting their events. 

PRINCE WILLIAM 

Sheen handed back his OBE over plans to make William the next Prince of Wales.

The tradition of naming a Prince of Wales was started by King Edward I, who named his son Prince Edward Prince of Wales. 

But Sheen described the tradition as ‘a sort of symbolic act of rebuke or punishment and humiliation’. 

‘Not-for-profit’ actor

Last year Sheen revealed he had become a ‘not-for-profit’ actor after putting his homes up for sale to help the homeless.

The actor made the ‘liberating’ decision to sell two mansions – in the US and the UK – and move back to Wales in order to raise funds for those in need.

Michael told the Big Issue how he stepped in to bankroll the 2019 Homeless World Cup in Cardiff when funding for the £2m project fell through at the last moment.

The star has already pledged £50,000 over five years to fund a bursary to help Welsh students go to Oxford University.

Returning his OBE  

In 2020, Sheen handed back his OBE eight years after receiving it from the Queen, saying he wanted independence for his home country.

The actor said he made the controversial move to avoid looking a hypocrite before giving a lecture on the history of his native Wales – including ‘past wrongs’ committed by England ‘to fracture us, to control us, to subdue us’.

And he called for the tradition of giving the heir to the throne the title of Prince of Wales to be scrapped when Charles becomes king, saying it was a ‘humiliation’ for the Welsh. He handed it back after researching Welsh history while preparing to give the lecture to students in 2017, where he claimed that Wales should become independent from the UK.

He said he told the Palace at the time that he did not mean to be rude and felt ‘incredibly honoured’ to have received it back in 2009.

Brexit break-up  

Sheen split with American comedian and actress Sarah Silverman, revealing their relationship indirectly ended because of Brexit and Donald Trump’s presidency.

The couple parted ways in December 2017 after four years together.

He said they split because of long distance – as he went back to the UK to explore why Brits voted in favour of Brexit, while Sarah chose to tour the US to interview people in the wake of Trump becoming president.

Sheen said that he and Sarah felt in ‘different ways’ that they wanted to ‘get more involved’ in the political climate after Brexit and Trump’s election.