'The Crown' Season 3 Episode 6 fails to show real 'atmosphere' of attempted bombings during Charles' Investiture as Prince of Wales
Spoiler alert for 'The Crown' Season 3 Episode 6 'Tywysog Cymru'
For some of the viewers, Prince Charles seems forever to be "the man who would be King", and at the age of 71, this seems credible. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles' investiture as the Prince of Wales, an event that forms the central plot of the sixth episode of Season 3 of Netflix's 'The Crown'.
In the episode, we see Charles head to Wales, in an effort to show solidarity with the Welsh in a time when the Welsh nationalist movement was growing fervently. This was the result of the flooding of the Tryweryn Valley, which forced the inhabitants of the village of Capel Celyn to move in 1965 to make way for a reservoir to supply Liverpool with water — something that is mentioned in the episode.
Of course, when the investiture ceremony finally rolls around, the episode shows a relatively peaceful event, with only a few boos, as a BBC broadcaster narrates the event. The actual investiture ceremony, however, took place in a tense atmosphere, so much so that BBC even had recorded obituary tributes in case Charles was assassinated.
Early morning, before the investiture on July 1, two Welsh nationalists from Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (MAC) (Movement for the Defence of Wales) — a paramilitary Welsh nationalist organization —were killed when the bomb they planted went off prematurely. The bomb was planted near a railway track in Abergele, which was carrying the Prince to the ceremony. The men, Alwyn Jones, 22, and George Taylor, 37, known as the Abergele Martyrs now, had also bombed a country club near Caernarfon.
Another bomb was planted in a Caernarfon police constable's garden had also gone off and as the Queen's horse-drawn carriage passed, nationalists hiding in the crowd hurled eggs at her. Two other bombs intended to stop the Royal Yacht Britannia docking failed to explode, but a few days later a boy mistook one of the bombs for a football and kicked it, leaving him disabled having suffered leg injuries.
But political shadows loomed over the event as well. Critics accused then-Prime Minister, Harold Wilson's Labour Government of exploiting the tourist potential for the ceremony to compensate for the collapse of mining in the Welsh coalfields. However, despite extensive marketing campaigns, the crowds were, at best half of what had been expected.
Fifty years later, feelings of Welsh nationalism seem to have subsided. Many Welsh residents reportedly feel indebted to Charles for showing dedication to their country. The Prince's Trust provides training and support to young people throughout Britain, which has helped Welsh residents to start their own businesses and have them flourish.
That is not to say that the people of Wales have unanimously accepted Prince Charles. Though many of the Welsh seem to be in favor of the monarchy and support the passing of the title to Prince William when Prince Charles becomes King, nearly half object to another investiture.
All episodes of Season 3 of 'The Crown' are now streaming on Netflix.