Talking About The Crown

As The Crown returns for Season 3 on Netflix this month, fans will see a north Wales town transformed back into the sixties.

Season 3 will feature the real-life events of the British Royal family that took place between 1964 and 1977. One of these historic occurrences was the investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969. The cast including Olivia Colman and Josh O’Connor were filmed in Caernarfon for the scenes set in north Wales, accompanied by extras drawn from among locals and Bangor University students.

The ceremony in 1969 indeed divided opinion in Wales, as Dr Euryn Roberts, Lecturer in Medieval History and Welsh History at Bangor University explains.

“There was a global audience of five hundred million people watching on TV, many having bought a colour tv set for the first time to see it all in colour. Charles was also welcomed by around 90,000 people here in Caernarfon to view the event.

“However, it didn’t pass without acrimony. There were protests and a notorious bombing campaign as well. Welsh public opinion was divided – those who were supportive of the investiture, and those who saw it as a celebration of the conquest of Wales and as a reminder of the incorporation of Wales into the British state.”

Dr Euryn Roberts teaches modules on castles and the Welsh princes and believes Bangor University’s location offers a unique experience for students.

“We’re very fortunate in Bangor that we have these significant historical sites on our doorstep.

“We take students out on field trips and we compliment that by looking at contemporary sources, such as the medieval building accounts for castles such as Caernarfon and Beaumaris.

“In tracing the history of Caernarfon castle for example, we also look at more recent documentary and visual sources such as video clips, protest songs and commemorative paraphernalia from events such as 1969 Investiture.

The Crown will return for its third season on November 17th 2019 on Netflix.

Watch the full interview with Dr Euryn Roberts in the Talking About The Crown video.

Publication date: 7 November 2019