King Charles has found part of his kingdom under a new title
this morning. Part of the United Kingdom, near the Cotswolds, has
declared itself a principality after an independence
referendum.
The village of Piddington voted overwhelmingly to leave the UK
in an independence referendum called after the government announced
plans to house over 1,250 asylum seekers at a Ministry of Defence
sit near the settlement. The majority of those settled there will
be single men aged over 18.
Piddington currently has a population of 358 and local residents
say they are concerned they will be overwhelmed by the influx of
asylum seekers. Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister, has said that
middle class and rural areas must take a proportion of immigrants
to the UK rather than all of them being found temporary
accommodation in cities and predominantly working class parts of
the country.
In July, 96% of eligible residents agreed to an independence
referendum and the ballot was held on September 15, the anniversary
of the Battle of Britain. The results were declared just after 7am
on September 16 with 312 ballots cast in total. Of those, 285 voted
to leave and 26 chose to stay in the UK with one spoiled ballot
paper.
Soon after the declaration was made, Piddington announced it was
no longer a village but the independent Principality of
Piddington.
However, it is a symbolic gesture as the referendum had no
official status and no constitutional implications.
It does, though, mean that the signs around the village, which
is in Oxfordshire and close to the Cotswolds, is now surrounded by
brand new signs. The ‘yes’ camp were ready for their win and had
already had signs reading ”The Principality of Piddington” printed
and ready to hang at the entrances to the village.
No Prince or Princess of Piddington has been announced.
Principalities are usually headed by a Prince or Princess. In the
cases of Monaco, the Prince is the Sovereign and is Head of State.
Wales is a Principality but remains part of the United Kingdom
although its First Minister recently joined with the leaders o the
devolved governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland to say that
independence from the UK was a priority.
A Principality is a long established form of government and the
word ultimately means ‘position of a prince’, indicating that
Piddington will need to choose a leader of some sort as it attempts
to establish independence. Sometimes, new states look around for
royals who might be interested in governing. In 1905, the newly
independent Norway asked a Danish prince called Carl, who was
unlikely to inherit a throne of his own, if he would be their new
king. After a referendum, insisted on by Carl, he was chosen as
monarch and became Haakon VII. His great grandson has just ascended
the Norwegian throne as Haakon VIII.
Piddington is unlikely to look for a ruler as the referendum is
seen as a protest against the government decision. However, local
leaders say they’ve been approached by other areas asking for help
in setting out how they make their own protests against policies
meaning that King Charles might be waking up more often to small
parts of his realm saying they’re no longer in the United
Kingdom.
The manor of Piddington was once held by a niece of William the
Conqueror who lost it to her own daughter in a royal power struggle
which saw her refuse to marry the man the king had chosen for her
and flee into exile, only to see her own offspring wed the lord in
question and take possession of Piddington. Almost 1000 years
later, this little part of Oxfordshire remains on the royal radar
as it establishes itself as a Principality.
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