Pro-independence campaigners held a maritime protest on the Menai Strait.

The aim was to demand that control of Wales' Crown Estate assets be transferred to the Senedd.

Members of YesCymru Caernarfon took to the waters to assert that Wales' resources should be in the hands of the Welsh people and should be used to benefit Welsh communities.

The protest cruise, dubbed Queen of the Sea, journeyed from Cei Llechi in Caernarfon to Menai Bridge.

This was part of YesCymru's broader awareness-raising initiative.

The protest cruiseThe protest cruise

The Crown Estate, a corporation managing the monarchy's vast property interests, has a £16 billion portfolio of land and seabed across Wales, England, and Northern Ireland.

Profits, which recently hit a record £1.1 billion, go directly into the UK Treasury.

An amount of these profits, 12 per cent, is passed on to the royal family through the Sovereign grant

The Crown Estate possesses assets in Wales, including 65 per cent of the Welsh foreshore and riverbed and more than 50,000 acres of land.

The Welsh government has control over agriculture, forestry and fishing, education, environment and health and social care.

YesCymru chair Phyl Griffiths said: "YesCymru believes in a simple principle which is that Wales' resources should be in the hands of the Welsh people and should be used to benefit Welsh communities.

Passing through the Menai BridgePassing through the Menai Bridge

"That's why we're campaigning hard for the assets that the Crown Estate holds in Wales to be transferred to the Senedd."

He added that this transfer would allow for substantial profits to be reinvested into community projects and public services.

Mr Griffiths said: "The protest held by YesCymru Caernarfon sends a clear message about where Wales stands on this issue.

"The current system of ownership when it comes to Wales' assets is a relic of a bygone era and completely unjust."

He pointed out that both major Westminster parties refuse to hand over control of the Crown Estate to the Senedd, a stance, which he states, contradicts the wishes of most of the Welsh populace and a significant majority of Senedd members.

Mr Griffiths said: "This shows a complete disregard for the will of the Welsh people as well as a disregard for what is in Wales' interests."

The protest comes in the wake of Scotland's Crown Estate control transfer to the Scottish Government in 2016.