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Original poster

To be confused about my partner's nationality

1000 replies

ForestryForever · 11/09/2023 22:04

Good evening,
My partner's parents were both born in Wales. They both lived and grew up in Wales. As adults they both left Wales and lived in England, where they remained.
Whilst married and living in England, they had a baby - my partner. My partner was born, raised in and grew up in England, and still lives in England.
What nationality is my partner?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
16
Dorksdirectdotcom · 12/09/2023 07:03

He's a Celt! But he's English 😁

Embarrassednamechangeadoddle · 12/09/2023 07:03

You’re looking for a definitive answer to something there isn’t a definitive answer to.

Legally his nationality is British.
Theres not set, objective criteria by which anyone is defined as English or Welsh specifically I don’t think. Like others say, that’s more of a personal choice, cultural thing.

My husbands mother is welsh and he lives there for half of his childhood. I don’t think he considers himself one or the other. However his family isn’t from a very “Welsh” part of wales….if you know what I mean. I have friends from more remote areas, who speaks the language in their families and their sense of welshnes is much stronger.

There’s not a definitive answer to your question.

Ohthatsabitshit · 12/09/2023 07:07

If you were born in England to British parents you are English.

OP posts:
BungleandGeorge · 12/09/2023 07:08

He’s British as on his passport.
if you want to be more specific about descent he’s English of welsh descent (you would also need to look further back than just parents though). I don’t think he can claim to be welsh if he has never lived in wales but I’d just leave him be to identify as he wishes

Pollyputhekettleon · 12/09/2023 07:12

Simonjt · 12/09/2023 05:59

That is literally how nationality works.

Show quote history

No, it's not. Citizenship, which is what you mean by nationality, is determined by the laws of each individual states. A few have laws that anyone born there is automatically a citizen, most don't. Most are based on descent, ancestry, heritage, your parents' citizenship.

Skybluecoat · 12/09/2023 07:12

He’s British as PP have said.

Both my parents were born and raised in Scotland. I was born and raised in England. If I had to state it in the way you describe, I’d say I am English, not Scottish.

I think your DP sounds a bit thick.

IClaudine · 12/09/2023 07:12

umeboshionigiri · 12/09/2023 05:28

English.

The reason I say this is because of a couple of people I know in that situation who experienced racism while visiting North Wales.

My mother is similar to your partner and believes she is 'Welsh' - I told her to spend a few weeks living in North Wales and see how 'Welsh' she's treated.

Edited

In what way did they experience racism?

HappyHolidai · 12/09/2023 07:12

My Dad is Welsh (with a bit of Irish), my mum is English. I was born in England. I'm half Welsh and half English and would always identify as British so I don't have to choose between the two.

If for some reason there's a tickbox with no "British" option then I'd probably tick English rather than Welsh but might go for "other" especially if I could write in "British".

somewhereovertherain · 12/09/2023 07:13

Who in their right mind identify as English if they didn’t have too.

personally born in Ireland to British parents. Definitely identify as Irish now and occasionally British but never English.

my kids born and brought up in England one British parent. One British / Irish all grandparents British.

both definitely Irish.

my bill is welsh and his kids born in England - again both kids definitely welsh if asked.

my brother lives in. America his kids Irish / American. Could have all three passports.

English is such a toxic horrible race currently. And if you’re in France watch the change in attitude to you if you say you’re Irish not English.

so if I was your partner. Definitely welsh.

IClaudine · 12/09/2023 07:14

I would say he is second generation Welsh, btw. You can't say he is half English when both parents are Welsh.

ginandtonicwithlimes · 12/09/2023 07:15

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Pollyputhekettleon · 12/09/2023 07:15

MargotBamborough · 12/09/2023 06:22

Sure they are. Officially, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are all one country with the same nationality and same passport. What do you think the Scots were voting on independence from, exactly?

Show quote history

You're using the terms country and state as if they are synonyms. They are not, although they're often used that way. Wales is a country but not a State. The UK is a State.

Laalaala · 12/09/2023 07:16

exLtEveDallas · 12/09/2023 05:42

He is Welsh.

DH is Welsh (parent Welsh and speaks Welsh). I am English (parents English).

DD was born in Germany. She has never lived in Wales, nor does she speak Welsh. (She doesn't speak German either!) She has a Welsh half sibling who speaks Welsh and has a Welsh mother. DD has lived in England since she was 6.

DD is Welsh, registered Welsh and passport says British Welsh. She is certainly not German simply because she was born there, nor is she English because she lives in England. She has the nationality of her father, DH has the nationality of his mother, and she has the nationality of his grandparents (and so on).

Your DD is ethnically half English half Welsh. Her nationality is British because she has a British passport. You can't get an English/Welsh/Scottish passport.

My mum is ethnically Chinese but born and raised in England. She's never lived in China. She has a British passport. Ethnicity and nationality are two separate things. You saying your DD is Welsh is like me saying that I'm only English because my dad is white English. No, my ethnicity and nationality are different.

@ForestryForever OP, tell your DH that ethnicity and nationality are different. He's ethnically Welsh but his nationality is British.

ISeeMisledPeople · 12/09/2023 07:16

If someone mistakenly called me Scottish/Welsh/Northern Irish, I'd laugh and correct them- it wouldn't make me cross

It might start to make you cross if it kept on happening though. You probably don't notice how often Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland are erased by people referring to people/things/countries as England/English when they should refer either to a different country or to the UK, because to you it will, on the surface, seem correct.

IClaudine · 12/09/2023 07:17

Wales is not the same country as England. We have a different language, culture and history.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Septemberlady · 12/09/2023 07:17

He’s 100% Welsh. Even if he didn’t want to be Welsh, people would look at his family on paper and say he’s Welsh.

He’s also English if he wants to be. Though whether he feels English is up to him.

If he’s spent all his life in a particular part of England, say London, it might be easier to think of him as a Londoner who is Welsh.

CaramelMac · 12/09/2023 07:18

Well he’s not half Welsh, he’s English and his parents are Welsh but if he wants to call himself Welsh let him get on with it, but he’ll look pretty silly when people find out he was born and raised in England, like Americans who call themselves Irish because their great great great grandparents came from Ireland.

somewhereovertherain · 12/09/2023 07:19

England such a welcoming country. 😂😂😂

tell that to the poor sods in the boats

or those that faced the no blacks, no dogs, no Irish signs.

England conquered the world and still thinks it owns it.

ginandtonicwithlimes · 12/09/2023 07:19

IClaudine · 12/09/2023 07:17

Wales is not the same country as England. We have a different language, culture and history.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

I might be wrong but at one point it was during Henry VIII's reign.

gardenlaundry · 12/09/2023 07:19

I was born and raised in England but both parents were born in a Scotland. To further complicate things my dad's parents were from Russia. So I tend to think of myself as 'mixed'. I'm intrigued by all the strands that make up my ethnicity and I don't feel as though I need to proclaim any kind of nationalist loyalty to one country or another.

TheNinny · 12/09/2023 07:20

english, welsh heritage

ginandtonicwithlimes · 12/09/2023 07:20

somewhereovertherain · 12/09/2023 07:19

England such a welcoming country. 😂😂😂

tell that to the poor sods in the boats

or those that faced the no blacks, no dogs, no Irish signs.

England conquered the world and still thinks it owns it.

Are you going to stay living in the past?

Pollyputhekettleon · 12/09/2023 07:20

umeboshionigiri · 12/09/2023 05:28

English.

The reason I say this is because of a couple of people I know in that situation who experienced racism while visiting North Wales.

My mother is similar to your partner and believes she is 'Welsh' - I told her to spend a few weeks living in North Wales and see how 'Welsh' she's treated.

Edited

Why would other people's opinions have any impact on whether you're ethnically Welsh or not? It doesn't change your ancestry, your biology, your genetics.

RoseMarigoldViolet · 12/09/2023 07:20

Both
Whichever he wants to be
British
Why does it matter?

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