Bleddyn II of Brythonica

Bleddyn II, Grand Duke of Brythonica (born: Luke Bleddyn Wells-Bowen; in Caerluel, Brythonica, on 21 May 1974) is the head of state of Brythonica. He is the only son of Princess Cathrine and her husband Carl Wells. His maternal uncle was Owain V, Grand Duke of Brythonica.

Childhood and early life
Bleddyn (pronounced: ˈblɛðən ) is the third child of four, and only son, of Princess Cathrine and her husband Carl Wells. He has two older sisters, Anwen (born 1971) and Seren (born 1972), and one younger sister Rhiannon (born 1979). Since he became Grand Duke in 2006, all of his sisters have been entitled to title themselves "Princess of Brythonica" with the style Grand Ducal Highness (HGDH). All but one of his sisters (Seren) have adopted the titles and styles.

Bleddyn was educated at the elite Caerluel Private Tuition School. He attended this school until he was 18. He then attended the University of Auckland in Nieu-Seeland where he passed with honours after studying political sciences and religion.

Aged 21 in 1995, Bleddyn entered into the National Military Academy in Barrai, Brythonica. He graduated from the academy in 1999 with the rank of Lieutenant.

Heir presumptive
From the moment he was born, Bleddyn became Heir Presumptive of Brythonica. His uncle Owain V, had not had a son; and due to Brythonica's salic law, all of Bleddyn's older female cousins were ruled out of succession. The reason Bleddyn was heir presumptive and not heir apparent was due to the fact that, technically, Owain V could have had a son until the moment of his death which would have immediately ruled out Bleddyn inheriting the throne. As it happened, after 1973, Owain V had no more children.

Titles and styles controversy
In 2001, Bleddyn began officially styling himself Heir Presumptive of Brythonia. This caused some stirs in the House of Peers as, being the son of a Princess, Bleddyn was not allowed under Brythonica's salic law to style himself with any royal titles.

However, the Constitutional Court ruled that Bleddyn would be allowed to continue using the title "Heir Presumptive" due to it being neither absolutely Royal nor reserved for someone else. The court also ruled that he may not style himself "His Royal Highness" (the style afforded to Royal heirs in Brythonica).

Bleddyn continued in this capacity until 2006.

Constitutional position
Bleddyn was heir presumptive from his birth. Due to Brythonica's salic law, whereby only males may inherit the throne, Bleddyn was the eldest, eligible male in his family (after incumbant Owain V) and so, if nothing changed, he would become the successor to Owain V, his uncle and then current Grand Duke. As heir presumptive, Bleddyn had no real role.

When Owain V became gravely ill in September 2006, he appointed Bleddyn as Lieutenant Marshall of Brythonica. This meant he assumed most of his uncle's constitutional powers. In January 2006, Owain V, Grand Duke of Brythonica died, aged 65.

The day after the Grand Duke's death, on 5 January 2006, the Succession Council, consisting of the House of Peers and judges of the Constitutional Court gathered at the National Assembly and "elected" Luke Bleddyn Wells as Grand Duke of Brythonica. The election of the Grand Duke is purely ceremonial. Upon being elected Grand Duke, he was asked what he wanted his regnal name to be, breaking with tradition, he chose his more historically relevent middle name of "Bleddyn".

On 9 January 2006, Bleddyn took a constitutional oath before the joint houses of the National Assembly, officially making him the 15th Grand Duke. His succession marked the first ever uncle-to-nephew transition of the Grand Duchy, as well as the first succession through a female line.

Styles and titles
Before becoming Grand Duke, Bleddyn bore no official titles. Upon his accession, he became officially styled and titled as:
 * His Royal Highness Bleddyn son of Carl, Grand Duke of Brythonica, Prince of Hillandia, Lord of Ynys.

However, Bleddyn became the first Grand Duke to shed the long extinct title of "Prince of Hillandia", a title passed onto the Grand Duchy by David I, who was the younger son of King Henry III of Hillandia (from which Brythonica won indepedence).

Unlike other monarchs, Grand Dukes of Brythonica have never been styled "by Grace of God".

Ynys controversy
The Isle of Ynys is a small island roughly 50km from the west coast of mainland Brythonica, and was until 1879, an independent state. Many politicians (especially locally) suggested that, in order to improve relations with the autonomous region and curtail nationalist sympathies, the Grand Duke drop the title "Lord of Ynys" from his official titles. Bleddyn refused this, however.

Roles and interests
The Grand Duke's duties are primarily representative. However, he does retain some limited constitutional powers. These include the power to appoint a Prime Minister and a Government, and to dissolve the House of Deputies (the lower house of the National Assembly). The constitution allows the Grand Duke the option to refuse to sign laws, effectively a veto, however, the constitution also further states that the Grand Duke's "veto" can be overturned by the House of Peers. To date no Grand Duke has withheld their signature.

Grand Duke Bleddyn is the Commander of the Brythonican Armed Forces (BAF), holding the title of Marshall of the Armed Forces.

The Grand Duke has three official residencies in Brythonica, with his official business residence being Caerluel Palace, although, he does not live there, prefering to live around the corner at Aeron House. His summer residence is Durwen House in the Lakes National Park.

Public perception and character
As a child, Bleddyn's life was kept away from the glare of the media and he lived his life as any private citizen of Brythonica would. In the mid-90s when Bleddyn began attending university, it became more apparent that Owain V would not have a son and so Brythonica's media began taking notice of the future Grand Duke. Throughout his time at university, Bleddyn was the subject of tabloid scrutiny and celebrity magazine articles. So much was the young heir persued that the House of Peers of Brythonica passed laws protecting his privacy while at university and forbidding journalists from taking pictures of him while on university or private grounds.

After leaving university in 1997, the media again closely followed Bleddyn's personal life. His love interests, friends, outings and nights out were all the subject of tabloids and magazines. As time went on, Bleddyn began receiving criticism from some politicians who perceived he was "taking more and more to the life of a celebrity". However, there were also many more who defended him, often comparing Bleddyn's publicly out-going nature to Owain V's apparent "reclusivity". One such politician was the future (and current) Chief Minister, Clare Harper, who said, "We have in [Bleddyn] a possible future Grand Duke who is at least seen and heard, unlike the one we have now."

In 2005, when Owain V became ill (with what was widely suspected by the media to be a smoking-related disease), Bleddyn began taking on his uncle's duties. These actions found him new repect amongst those whom had previously criticised his behaviour. Well known monarchist and conservative Bill Larson, who was once a staunch critic of Bleddyn said, "We have in [Bleddyn] a young man who has placed the call of duty above all else in his life at the moment. He has truly demostrated over these recent, unfortunate months, that he is very much ready to become our future monarch."

Early the next year, he became Grand Duke. Many newspapers were surprised by Bleddyn's choice of his middle name as his regnal name, with many predicting he would chose the far more modern "Luke" (his birth name). His choice of a traditional name further warmed up the views of the traditionalists and other critics alike, who saw his attempts to please them and responded kindly to such. However there were those who criticised his choosing the name "Bleddyn". Jennifer Mosgrove, a well known republican, stated it was a "vein attempt" to link the young Grand Duke with a dying institution.

The Grand Duke, unlike his predecessors, has often underwent interviews for the press and other media. His first interview since becoming Grand Duke was with the Brythonican Broadcasting Network (BBN). In the interview he answered many seemingly trivial questions before the presenter threw a question from left-field and asked Bleddyn, "How do you feel in regards to republicanism in Brythonica?" After a few moments of joking with the presenter Bleddyn answered, "In Brythonica, the Grand Duke reigns, he does not rule. In this country, democracy rules.  Don't forget, even I am elected!" His first interview received wide praise for his conduct and insight.

Bleddyn is widely considered a popular monarch amongst Brythonicans, especially when compared to other recent monarchs. The latest poll conducted by the Brythonican Broadcasting Network showed that since becoming Grand Duke, his popularity has risen. The poll showed 73% of people "approved of the Grand Duke". He has done more than any other Grand Duke to bring the monarchy in the public forum and to modernise it. Bleddyn has often worked to shed the image of an "unapprochable" and "reclusive" monarchy. His efforts have seemingly paid off. In 1997, polls showed only 61% of Brythonicans favoured the monarchy (it's lowest ever support). In 2007 a poll asking the same question found support for the monarchy had risen to 69%.

Bleddyn has also been a controversial Grand Duke. Being the public eye more than his predecessors his actions are examined and scrutinised like no Grand Duke in history. Criticisms of him have ranged from his personal life and love interests, through to the way he conducts himself in public. Many have called the Grand Duke "more like a celebrity" than a head of state. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Carluel criticised the Grand Duke in 2007 for living "an unhealthy private life". The Grand Duke, who is himself a Roman Catholic, did not respond to the Bishop's comments.

Finances
As Grand Duke, Bleddyn's costs are incurred by the state. As of 2006 (the most recent year for which information is available) the Grand Duke of Brythonica may claim upto 11 million punts (2.1 million Auralian dollars) in expenses. Most of his expenses are down to the monarch's three official residencies. Bleddyn has indicated that he may buy his current main residence, Aeron House, from the state and run it as a private property.

Personal wealth
The exact personal wealth of the Grand Duke isn't known, however, it has been estimated that the current Grand Duke's fortune stands at approximately 62 million punts (roughly A$12 million), making him one of Auralia's 'poorer' monarchs.

Family's wealth
Carl Wells, the Grand Duke's father, co-owns Brythonica's largest advertising company, Wells-Curtis, which posted profits in 2005 of 139.3 million punts (approximately A$27 million). His father ranked 3rd on Brythonica's richlist in 2005 with a personal wealth of 1.45 billion punts (approximately A$281 million).

Bleddyn's mother, HGDH Princess Cathrine, is the richest Royal in Brythonica with a fortune of 92.8 million punts (A$18 million).

Politics
Grand Dukes of Brythonica have often historically attempted to "direct" courses that various governments should take, however, Caerwyn IV set the current trend of remaining out of politics. His brother, Owain V, and nephew Bleddyn II, have both followed the example. Unlike his predecessors, however, Bleddyn has often "let slip" his thoughts on certain government actions. Most notably on the Social-Liberal Democrat's now abandoned policy of 'simply ignoring' the terrorist Ynys Armed Republican Movement (YARM), which the Grand Duke referred to as "stupid and dangerous".

Salic law comments
In March 2008, Bleddyn stated that he wants to see salic law abolished and replaced with equal primgeniture. The current system allows only males to inherit the throne, whereas equal primogeniture would see a system whereby the eldest child, regardless of sex, would inherit the throne. Those who oppose this system criticised the Grand Duke for interfering in politics and breaking his constitutional oath not to unduly influence or steer government policy. One member of the House of Peers, Roger Fairchild, attempted to impeach the Grand Duke but the motion gained only three votes.

Politicians from the left welcomed the Grand Duke's comments and called for the governing parties of the right to follow the Grand Duke's wishes. However, Chief Minister Clare Harper said, "So long as I am in office, no laws in regards to succession shall be made." The Grand Duke's views on Harper's comment are unknown.

Smoking
Bleddyn is most often criticised for being a smoker, having smoked cigarettes since the age of 18. The Grand Duke has stated that he no longer smokes as much as he used to and only does so in private. In November 2008 the Grand Duke said he had "tried" giving up smoking during the summer. His attempts were unsuccesful.

Personal life
In Brythonica, the Grand Ducal family have often enjoyed "celebrity" status in the later half of the 20th century. Even before he was Grand Duke, Bleddyn's personal life was a much followed subject amongst the public.

Grand Duke Bleddyn has had a string of love interests over the last decade, none of whom have turned out to be permanent. He has not yet married and aged 34 some have said now is the time for the Grand Duke to be looking to start a family.

Laura McLean
In 2002, Laura McLean, a well known Brythonican socialite whom was once involved with the Grand Duke, alleged that Bleddyn was the father of her son. The allegation prompted a frenzy in the media with the Grand Duke denying the claim. It was eventually proven through DNA testing that Bleddyn was not the father of McLean's son.

Tegan Jones
The Grand Duke has often been photographed and seen with model Tegan Jones. The Grand Duke's personal secretaries and his office have refused to comment on whether the two are in a relationship or not. Jones has also refused to comment on her relationship status with Grand Duke Bleddyn.

In a poll conducted by Brythonica's largest tabloid, The National Herald, 74% of those who answered "approved" of Tegan as a possible future Grand Duchess.

Ancestry
Due to the way succession is governed in Brythonica, Bleddyn is the nephew of two former Grand Dukes, and the great grand-nephew of three former Grand Dukes. The Grand Dukes from which Bleddyn is directly descended are shown below. He is the great-(x5)-grandson of his namesake, Bleddyn I. He is also the first monarch since 1815 to not be a member of the House of Bowen, Bleddyn is the first monarch of the House of Wells-Bowen.

Bleddyn
 * 1) Carl Wells, son of 3 & 4
 * 2) HGDH Princess Cathrine of Brythonica, daughter of 5 & 6
 * 3) Charles Wells, son of 7 & 8
 * 4) Particia Fulham, daughter of 9 & 10
 * 5) HRH Grand Duke Caerwyn III, son of 11 & 12
 * 6) Lady Enid Mara, daughter of 13 & 14
 * 7) John George Wells
 * 8) Dorothy Carlsbad
 * 9) Roger Fulham
 * 10) Gregoria Al-Qatari
 * 11) HRH Grand Duke John
 * 12) Countess Victoria of Llynn
 * 13) Madoc Mara, Lord of Draenarth
 * 14) Gwenydd Peters