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Is there anything more Welsh than the nation’s rugby team standing on the hallowed turf at the Principality Stadium, chests pumped and roaring the national anthem, with the three feathers emblazoned on their famous red jersey?

Perhaps there is.

Because there is one small issue with the crest which symbolises the Welsh Rugby Union.

The emblem, three white ostrich feathers behind a gold coronet, actually represents an English figure, not a Welsh one.

Since the beginning of the 17th century the badge has been exclusively associated with the Prince of Wales, yet has no connection at all with the last native prince of Wales, Owain Glyndŵr, who died around the year 1415.

The heraldic badge is technically the badge of the Duke of Cornwall, or Heir Apparent, as it will apply before any prince has been invested officially as Prince of Wales.

It originated with Edward, the Black Prince (1330–1376), eldest son and heir apparent of Edward III of England (and ruler of Wales).

(Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency)

The Black Prince inherited the standard and motto from his mother, Queen Philippa, a member of the House of Hainault, although legend says that after the Battle of Crécy, the first major battle of the Hundred Years War in 1346, that the prince took the helmet of vanquished John I of Bohemia, which was lined with ostrich feathers.

The Three Feathers design itself is based on the Fleur de Lis, which was first known for sure to have been used on the field by the French king Philippe II (1180-1214).

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It has, however, come to be regarded as representative of Wales, and not just the prince, and can be seen on thousands of Welsh products, from mugs, scarves and rugby shirts to business logos and stationery - and tattoos.

It also represents Welsh regiments of the British Army.

In fact, it’s widespread use once even prompted Prince Charles to launch a clampdown.

Back in 2007, letters sent from Buckingham Palace to several Welsh companies demanded they stop selling items bearing the insignia.

Sent from the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, copying in Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall’s offices, the letters spelt out that the emblem “usually known as the Prince of Wales Feathers” was “the personal property of the Prince of Wales, and as such is protected from misuse by law”.

It warned that people or companies using the badge without permission from the Prince of Wales were “in contravention of the law”.

However, cultural historian Peter Stead said royalty and the armed forces both played a role in forging Welsh identity.

He said: “The three feathers all comes from Black Prince and his mother’s home in Hainault.

“It is a powerful testimony to charisma of the Black Prince and the subsequent legacy.

“The creation of the Prince of Wales role was a feudal dynastic ploy and indication of victory but what has always amazed me is how the ploy has been successful down through the centuries.

“We should never underestimate the extent to which royalty and the armed forces contributed to the rise of Welsh identity, first in the Tudor period and then in the Victorian and Edwardian era.

“Welsh rugby and its iconography, a vital clue.

“Diana and the latest version of Charles keeping it going and with the next two Princes of Wales waiting in line it will be fascinating to see how that medieval political ploy endures.”

In the 1990s, the WRU modified the form of the badge they used to copyright the design.

The new logo is more stylised, with “WRU” in place of “Ich dien”, German for “I serve”, which traditionally is written below the feathers on the coronet.

Nevertheless, the continued use of the three feathers prompted a petition, which attracted thousands of signatures, calling on the WRU to change the crest to a dragon, instead of three feathers.

But don't expect it to change any time soon - or for the national side's players to feel any less hwyl when they pull on the coveted red jersey, three feathers and all.