Edling
Encyclopedia
Edling was a title given to the agreed successor or heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

 of a reigning Welsh monarch. The title comes from the Anglo-Saxon language word Æðling (for example, see Edgar Ætheling
Edgar Ætheling
Edgar Ætheling , or Edgar II, was the last male member of the royal house of Cerdic of Wessex...

), literally meaning noble child, which was used in the Anglo Saxon kingdoms of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

before the Norman Conquest to denote one of "royal blood".

The corruption in Welsh use had a more precise meaning and denoted the acknowledged heir to the throne, usually the ruler's eldest son, even though any son, legitimate or illegitimate, could be chosen as edling.
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