This article is about the particular significance of the year 1952 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales - vacant (Charles, Prince of Wales, had not been officially designated with the title)
• Princess of Wales - vacant
• Archbishop of Wales - John Morgan
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales - Cynan

Events

• Opening of Claerwen reservoir.
• Lake Bala bursts its banks and floods many parts of the Vale of Edeyrnion.
• 5 July - Six miners are killed in an accident at Point of Ayr colliery in north Wales.
• Following the retirement of Hugh O'Neill, David Grenfell becomes Father of the House.
• Pennar Davies becomes Principal of Swansea Memorial College.

Arts and literature

• Richard Bebb marries Gwen Watford.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberystwyth)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - John Evans
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - withheld
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Owen Elias Roberts

New books

• Islwyn Ffowc Elis - Cyn Oeri'r Gwaed
• Jack Jones - Lily of the Valley
• T. J. Morgan - Y Treigladau a?u Cystrawen
• John Dyfnallt Owen - Rhamant a Rhyddid
• R. Williams Parry - Cerddi'r Gaeaf
• Bertrand Russell - The Impact of Science on Society
• Richard Vaughan - Moulded in Earth
• Raymond Williams - Drama from Ibsen to Eliot

Music

• David Wynne - Symphony no. 1

Film

• Richard Burton stars in My Cousin Rachel.

Broadcasting

• 12 March - Tommy Cooper's TV series, It's Magic, begins its run.
• 15 August - The Wenvoe television transmitter enters service.
• 26 August - Hit radio series Welsh Rarebit transfers to television.

Sport

• Rugby union - Wales win their fifth Grand Slam.
• Summer Olympics - Harry Llewellyn wins a gold medal in the team showjumping competition, riding Foxhunter.

Births

• 22 March - David Jones, politician
• 5 May - Andrew Davies AM, politician
• 12 June - Jed Williams, jazz journalist
• 7 September - Irene James AM, politician
• 17 November - David Emanuel, fashion designer
• 20 November - Karen Sinclair, politician
• date unknown
  • Hilary Bevan Jones, television producer
  • Robert Minhinnick, poet

Deaths

• 3 March - John Emlyn Emlyn-Jones, ship-owner and politician
• 25 April - Sir Milsom Rees, surgeon
• 25 August - Kitchener Davies, writer
• 23 October - Windham Wyndham-Quin, 5th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, politician
• 28 October - William Morris Hughes, Prime Minister of Australia
• 15 December (in London) - Sir William Goscombe John, sculptor
• 26 December - Lyn Harding, actor
• 31 December - John Cledwyn Davies, politician