Speaking this language could get you a job with William and Kate
By Rosa Silverman
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".
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There is one specific language you need to be a master at to work with Will and Kate. Getty
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.
That Prince William wants someone in this mould is "a sign he is taking his new role seriously", says one inner source. "He wants to be authentic when he comes to Wales."
This will go beyond saying "bore da" (good morning) when he visits – but he's unlikely to go as far as following his father to Aberystwyth University, where the King, then aged 20, spent a semester in 1969 to study the Welsh language. Prince William, for his part, lived in Anglesey, North Wales, from 2010 to 2013, while serving as an RAF search and rescue pilot. "But he's not pretending to be this great Welsh leader," says the source.
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However, the new hire is expected to help forge and cement important relations and identify where Prince William can most effectively get involved in Welsh affairs – and where he would be welcome. "What better way to have a Welsh connection than to have a Welsh assistant private secretary?" says Dickie Arbiter, former press secretary to the late Queen. He expects the role will involve ensuring "William is meeting the right people in Wales, the movers and shakers and politicians."
The type of person required for this, suggests Arbiter, would be one capable not only of communicating effectively with the Prince and Princess of Wales, but one who will not succumb to "red carpet fever" – that condition of over-excitement at being in close proximity to the Royal family.
Judging by the Waleses' previous hires, the new recruit is likely to be relatively young and will not necessarily have come through the traditional route of the Foreign Office or a stint elsewhere in the Civil Service.
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It is a move made for all members of the Wales household. GC Images
"They might want someone with real-world experience in Wales," says the source. Someone who attended a Welsh comprehensive may be "the dream", she suggests.
Prince William, after all, is the royal who is doing things differently: a thoroughly modern man who favours a casual dad vibe over the stiff buttoned-up look of some of his male forebears. His new assistant may well reflect his keen embrace of modernity.
Experience of working with charities might also be a bonus, says the source, since Prince William is very charity-focused, with homelessness and the environment two causes close to his heart. "Anyone who can talk to him about the benefits of seaweed in sustainable packaging might do well in the job," she adds.
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But if this is you, there's bad news: the vacancy closed last week.
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