If you have conversational Welsh, you’re off to a strong start. If you speak it and write it fluently, all the better.
When the Prince and Princess of Wales advertised for an assistant private secretary this month, plenty of hopefuls will have fallen at the first hurdle. Or rhwystr. (That’s Welsh for hurdle – but perhaps you already knew that.) Because, in addition to “excellent communication and organisational skills” (the kind of vague talent most of us claimed to possess on our UCAS personal statements), conversational Welsh was deemed “essential”, while fluent written and spoken Welsh was “desirable”.
If the aim was to narrow down the pool of potential applicants to a manageable number, it was inspired: according to recent data from the Annual Population Survey in Wales, less than a third of the Welsh population (28 per cent) is able to speak the language – equating to an estimated 862,700 people. Since this figure includes children, the actual number of eligible applicants for the role would have been somewhat smaller.
But apart from a good working knowledge of the tongue of Richard Burton and Ioan Gruffudd, what else would it take to do the job? The responsibilities are not insubstantial. The new hire will lead the planning and delivery for most of the couple’s public engagements not only in Wales but also in Scotland and Northern Ireland. They will also “contribute to the development of the Household’s strategy to maximise impact across the constituent nations of the UK, with a particular focus on Wales”. To this end, the advert requests candidates have a strong understanding of Welsh communities, affairs, government and business.
Then there are some more generic skills required: a proactive hands-on approach and a proven ability to build productive relationships with a wide range of individuals and institutions.
The appointee will follow in the footsteps of previous staffers employed by the former Prince of Wales, now the King. Having already worked for the prince from 1994, Dr Manon Williams, now Antoniazzi, became his private secretary in 2004, taking on special responsibility for Wales. Dr Williams started spending two days a week in Cardiff from 2010, when Charles opened an office in Wales. In early 2012, former BBC journalist and Welsh speaker Dr Grahame Davies was appointed assistant private secretary to the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
