The Crown : All About Prince Charles’s Welsh Sojourn
Warning: Contains spoilers for The Crown, season 3.
Season three of The Crown has arrived—we already knew we had a lot to look forward to, from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II to Helena Bonham Carter undoubtedly slaying her role as the Queen's party-girl sister, Princess Margaret. But what's Prince Charles up to?, you might ask.
It's a fair question—after all, Charles is one of the few living royals being depicted on the show—but unfortunately, the answer is mostly "moping around and hating his family." Josh O'Connor does a great job portraying Charles's depression and alienation as he begins to come into his own, questioning the role in the family he was born into.
Charles's pivotal episode comes about halfway through the season, when he's pulled out of Cambridge and forced to spend a semester studying in Wales. Below, find all the details about just how accurate The Crown's depiction of Prince Charles is.
Did Charles really act?
At the outset of episode seven, Charles is seen preparing for a performance of a college play. It's a ripped-from-the-headlines plot point, given that in real life, Charles was a member of the Dryden Society, Trinity College's drama group, during his time at Cambridge University.
Was Charles sent to Wales to ease regional tensions?
Not exactly. On The Crown, Charles is seen enjoying his time at Cambridge before being yanked out to make the royal family seem more invested in the future of Welsh citizens. In real life, Charles did spend a term at University College of Wales at Aberystwyth, but the royal family never discussed it being a formal gesture of goodwill to Wales.
Did Charles fight with Queen Elizabeth II about the Wales trip?
On The Crown, Charles is seen raging at the queen after she tells him, "You were sent to Wales to show respect and heal divisions, not inflict them on your own family." Charles snaps at her, "Am I listened to this family? Am I seen for who or what I am? No."
In real life, Charles and Elizabeth did have some tension between them; as the heir to throne, it was perhaps inevitable that Charles would clash with his mother, the queen, who, according to historian Robert Lacey, "believed it was better to leave the children in the care of nannies rather than drag them around the world."
Observers have speculated about tension between the royal mother and son on other occasions, like when, for example, Elizabeth skipped Charles's 50th birthday. But there's no reason to believe their relationship was all drama; just look at the praise she gave him on his 70th: “Over his 70 years, Philip and I have seen Charles become a champion of conservation and the arts, a great charitable leader—a dedicated and respected heir to the throne to stand comparison with any in history—and a wonderful father,” she said.
Did Charles and Camilla Shand really date and break up?
We're introduced to a young Camilla Parker-Bowles, née Shand, in the third season of The Crown. In real life, Camilla (played by Emerald Fennell) and Prince Charles did date, but their relationship ended relatively quickly. (The man who would eventually become Camilla's husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles, initially courted Charles's sister, Princess Anne.) Next season will introduce us to Princess Diana, so perhaps we'll get to see the ensuing love triangle between Charles, Camilla, and Diana then.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
