Original subtitles

-[humming] -[blowing raspberries]

Around the ragged rocks the ragged rascal ran.

Copper pot, coffee pot,

copper pot, coffee pot.

-Around the ragged rocks... -Copper pot...

-...the ragged rascal ran. -...coffee pot. A proper cup of coffee

in a proper copper coffee pot.

A proper cup of coffee in a proper copper coffee pot.

[humming]

[student] Copper pot, coffee pot.

[chants]

[whispers] Hollow crown...

rounds the mortal temples of a king...

keeps Death his court and there the antic sits.

[man] In my capacity as Earl Marshal,

I've always abided by one guiding principle,

which has served me extremely well until now.

[Wilson] Which is?

[man] Wherever possible, change absolutely nothing.

Do things exactly the same way as they were done before.

In the case of Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales,

I can see no reason not to repeat in every detail

the investiture of the previous Prince of Wales in, uh, 1911.

And to those of us who've not had the opportunity...

Or the interest, frankly.

...to familiarize ourselves with the details of the earlier investiture...

[Adeane] A deployment of 15,000 troops,

a Devonshire-class cruiser positioned off the coast of Holyhead,

21 gun salutes, a battery of Royal Field Artillery,

a landing party supplied by the bluejackets and the Royal Marines,

two squadrons of cavalry of the line, a detachment of the...

[Wilson] He went on and on. [coughs]

And what he described was less an investiture

and more like an invasion! [chuckles]

And the feeling is we have a golden opportunity here

to be more sensitive, inclusive,

for the ceremony to feel...

less like a feudal imposition,

and more like the confirmation

of a true native son of Wales.

But my son isn't Welsh, so gestures are all we have.

But gestures can be powerful.

What if he went there, studied there,

learned enough Welsh to address the country in their native tongue?

Prince Charles is currently at Cambridge and content there, finally,

in his studies and his personal life.

He likes acting.

Acting?

Yes.

It's how he can express himself.

It's a very delicate stage in his development.

I appreciate that.

But we're in a very delicate stage for the union too.

The Security Service have been picking up some murmurs, ma'am.

Well, more than murmurs, actually.

Growls.

Separatist stirrings, nationalist stirrings

in a region that has long felt aggrieved,

overlooked, undervalued.

And the government's thinking was,

why not pull him out of Cambridge and send him to Wales?

For a term.

We think it could be enormously helpful.

[Elizabeth] The government proposed, and we agree,

that you should spend a term at the university there to learn the language.

-But-- -No buts.

But I'm really rather happy at Cambridge,

not to mention I've just been cast in a wonderful role.

-I know, but-- -I thought no buts.

But sometimes duty requires one to put personal feelings...

-And frivolity. -...aside.

Good. That's settled then.

-Come. Foxy, come here. -[dog barks]

[door closes]

[Charles] Why is she never like that with you?

Vile and cold like that.

Because I'm irrelevant.

I rather wish she would be like that with me.

It would suggest I have significance.

Trust me, you wouldn't like it in reality.

I would.

I'd bully her right back.

Fancy swapping, then? Fancy being the heir?

Not if it means going to Wales.

[chuckles]

[laughs]

[both chuckle]

[door opens]

[door closes]

[sighs]

[birds call]

[man in Welsh] These are dark times for Wales.

Never before has the country faced tougher challenges.

[applause]

And never before have the Welsh people been so powerless

to make the changes we want and need.

[applause]

The time has come for this country to have home rule.

For decisions about Wales

to be made in Wales

and by the Welsh, in Welsh!

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, friends.

-Ah, morning, Bethan. -Morning, Tedi. Good luck.

-Good luck? Why? -You'll see.

Ah!

Tedi.

[in English] You know the president of the university, Sir Ben Bowen Thomas.

-Mr. Millward. -Morning.

-And, uh, this gentleman... -Michael Adeane.

...is from the royal household.

Tedi.

We have a special visitor coming to Aberystwyth this term to learn Welsh.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles.

And we'd like you to be his tutor.

[chuckles] You're joking.

Uh... [chuckles]

In case you've forgotten, I'm the vice president of Plaid Cymru.

I'm a republican nationalist.

You know my feelings about the office of the Prince of Wales,

that it's a princehood illegitimately imposed upon us

by an oppressive imperial conquest.

Aberystwyth...

is the University of Wales.

Our Welsh language department is the finest in the land,

and you its best and brightest teacher.

Now, you claimed it was possible to learn a considerable amount of Welsh

in a relatively short period of time.

That was for Welsh citizens.

[Adeane] We were told you had a certain technique.

-Where else would he go? -He can go to Fred Jarman in Cardiff.

-No. -He can go to Caerwyn Williams in Bangor.

You can't make me do this.

It would violate every belief in my body.

[woman in Welsh] I don't understand.

Welsh nationalism is the article of faith, the shared belief

that underpins our whole marriage.

And now you elect to go and serve the thing,

the very thing, we have been fighting!

[in Welsh] That was my first reaction too, but think about it.

The Labour government has actually persuaded them to make the speech...

in Welsh.

Do you have any idea how many people will see the broadcast?

This could be a huge step for our movement.

[sighs]

[attempts to pronounce words in Welsh]

"Welcome to Wales."

-[camera clicks] -[crowd jeers]

[crowd boos]

[crowd jeers]

Hello, hello.

Thank you. Hello!

Thank you for coming.

-Your Royal Highness. -Hello. It's lovely to meet you.

-Welcome to Wales, Your Royal Highness. -Thank you.

This way, sir.

[reporters shout]

Hello! Thanks for coming. Thank you. Thanks.

Go home, Carlo!

-Sir? This way, sir. -[woman] You are not Welsh!

And you never will be!

[door opens]

Your Royal Highness. Mr. Edward Millward.

How do you do?

-Charles. -Your, uh...

His Royal Highness.

[Millward] Hmm, if you don't mind,

I'd rather we set out on the same terms as all my students.

[clears throat]

I believe I'm also expected to bow my head,

but I hope this will suffice.

Please.

[clears throat]

Well, I'll leave you to it then.

[clears throat]

[door closes]

I'm very grateful for all this.

I hope you'll be able to put your feelings to one side.

I gather you're a Welsh nationalist.

[Millward] Hmm.

I'm an educator.

-Do you leave your politics at the door? -No.

My politics are the reason why I walk through the door every day,

and if I believe, and I do,

that anyone deserves a university education,

then it would be hypocritical of me not to extend that privilege

to those at the very top, as well as the bottom.

But you don't approve of... me.

[chuckles] I've nothing against you personally.

But you wish my role didn't exist, my family's.

I don't think of myself as against things.

I'm for things.

For my country, my culture,

and my language, most of all.

And you think that the Crown exists in opposition to that.

I think it imposes a kind of uniformity

that by default, yes, suppresses Welsh identity

with a ubiquitous Britishness.

But Wales is Britain.

Britain is Wales.

Historically, we always fought together.

-Henry V at Agincourt. -Yes.

Welshmen have historically bled

for the conquests of your Crown, and why, one might ask?

For what?

Look, I really didn't intend to joust with you.

Hmm. It isn't fair.

You're here to learn Welsh.

[door opens]

[students speak quietly]

Here we are.

-There. -Thank you.

[speaks Welsh]

We learn through imitation.

Like anything in life, if we pretend we're something long enough,

we may just become it.

[female voice] Bore da.

Bore da.

-[in English] Good morning. -Good morning.

-Beth ydych enw. -Berth uder keno.

[in English] What is your name?

What is your name?

[female voice] Ydych chi'n siarad Cymraeg?

A...A dickid nsharad cum-ayg.

[in English] Do you speak Welsh?

[chuckles]

Do you speak Welsh?

[students speak quietly]

[female voice] Sut ydych chi?

[Charles] Soota da kee?

[in English] How are you?

How are you?

[sighs]

[clears throat]

[loud rock music from next door]

♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪

-♪ Hallelujah ♪ -[Charles] Hello.

[door slams]

[Charles] I miss Cambridge already.

And this place is a bit... gloomy.

[door closes]

It's Wales. What do you expect? Hold on.

-[loud music] -Hold on.

-[turns music down] -Hold on, Charles.

How are the other students?

Short, hairy, and angry?

-What? -Isn't that what the Celts are like?

Furry and furious, big eyebrows, red faces,

stooped under the weight of an ancestral grudge?

They're not very friendly, for sure.

I passed a sign on the way in.

"Welcome to Wales."

Might as well have read, "Bugger off back home."

It's not for long.

An eternity. Three months!

It'll fly by.

Crawl by more like, on hands and knees.

You really are the most terrible Eeyore.

[Charles sighs]

What are we going to do with you?

Getting me out of Wales might be a start.

-I'll come and visit. -No, you won't.

No, you're probably right. I won't.

-[chuckles] -Chin up. Nobody likes a misery guts.

[hangs up]

[coin rattles]

[Thomas] And though he be but another student

in the eyes of the faculty,

I'm sure he'll forgive us this more bespoke welcome

to our university.

And we hope this is the beginning of a long and happy partnership,

and perhaps, in time, even his patronage as king.

The Prince of Wales.

-[all] The Prince of Wales. -[Charles] Thank you. Thank you.

[Parry clears throat]

So, what do you think of our facilities here, sir?

It's, uh, quite the archive we have in our library, don't you think?

I confess I haven't actually made it to the library yet. [chuckles]

Not been to the library?

I thought Mr. Millward was giving you a full, rounded Welsh education.

He is. I mean, I am.

Uh, and like all students, they're encouraged to...

conduct extra reading off their own bats.

Hmm. Ah.

How is the speech going?

You'll be channeling Llywelyn ap Gruffudd himself

before long, no doubt!

[chuckling]

I'm sorry, who?

Llywelyn...

Is he... an alumnus or...?

We'll be covering that this week.

-[Millward clears throat] -[chuckles]

-[knocking at door] -[door opens]

[Charles speaks in Welsh] Good morning, teacher.

[door closes]

I've translated the opening of your speech that the palace sent me.

And? What did you think?

I'm not here to pass judgment on the content.

You say whatever you like, or whatever they tell you to.

The hardest pronunciation for you will be the word "atmosphere."

Awyrgylch.

It's like a verbal assault course

of all your worst sounds scattered one after another like traps.

Break them up.

So...

Ow-oo.

Ar...

Ow-oo.

-Ah... -Oo...

Oo...

-Glide into the "ooh." -I'm trying to glide into it. Ow.

Fine. Let's begin at the end.

[rasps]

Huh. [clears throat]

[Millward rasps]

[both rasp]

Back of the throat.

-Better. -Hmm.

I see, it's like the fricatives.

-"Th," "ff," "sh," "ss" sounds. -I know what fricatives are.

We do them as warm-up exercises before we go onstage.

Hah, hay, hee, hay, hah,

haw, hoo, haw, hah.

Lah, lay, lee, lay, lah, law, loo.

Or in Welsh...

Lla, llay, llee, llay, llah, llaw.

Do you get it?

And the tongue twisters are my favorite.

Uh, to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock.

In a pestilential prison with a lifelong lock

Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock

From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big, black block.

A tutor who tooted the flute tried to teach two young tooters to toot.

Said the two to the tutor,

"Is it harder to toot or to teach two young tooters to toot?"

What a to-do to die today at a minute or two to two.

A thing distinctly hard to say, but a harder thing to do.

For they'll beat a tattoo at two today, a ratatatat tattoo.

And the dragon will come when he hears the drum,

at a minute or two at two today, at a minute or two today! [chuckles]

[Millward sighs]

[tuts]

I understand it's all a bit of fun for you.

That was clear last night.

"Where is the library? Who is Llywelyn?"

Do you have any idea

how embarrassing that was for the rest of us?

How humiliating?

The fact you didn't know?

As your tutor,

I'm going to ask you a favor.

Pay us the respect.

And give us just the slightest impression

that you care about any of this

before you turn around again,

and never show up, like the last Prince of Wales,

and the one before him.

[door opens]

[door slams]

[overlapping chatter]

[indistinct whispering]

[murmurs]

[footsteps approach]

What are you reading?

The investiture speech for Charles.

The Prime Minister thinks it may be too dry, too rigid.

And given that it is effectively his introduction to the world,

it might be an idea to let Charles work on the speech himself.

That it reflect him more.

Do you think that's wise?

That speech has been composed by diplomatic and constitutional experts.

Do you really want Charles messing with that?

I adapted my own maiden speech to the Commonwealth aged 21.

You remember.

I do.

You were in Cape Town.

-After they separated us. -Yes.

Four endless months.

Hoping you'd fall out of love with me.

Fat chance.

Anyway...

that was you.

This is Charles.

A horse of a very different color.

Yes.

I... finally made it to the library.

Now I know who Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was.

The first, and true, Prince of Wales.

Given his title by the English King Henry III...

murdered a few years later by Henry's son Edward.

Edward I took the title promised to Llywelyn,

and conferred it on his own son

at the gates of Caernarfon Castle.

Hmm.

The great betrayal.

But the ancient hope still remains.

A prophecy...

that one day, a prince will be presented from Eleanor's Gate atop Caernarfon

and that he will be a true Welsh-speaking son of Wales.

I can't ever be a son of Wales...

but I am working on the Welsh-speaking part.

Hmm.

Good.

Well, I should let you get on with whatever it is

a young prince, footloose and fancy-free,

does of an evening away from home.

Oh, yes. Well, I have, uh...

I'll most likely just go back to my room.

-Eat there. -Alone?

Have you not, uh...

you know, made any...

It's fine, really.

I'm incredibly used to it.

[in Welsh] They don't spend much time together, thank God.

[in English] Come in.

[Mrs. Millward in Welsh] I don't know how Tedi can even bear to be in the same room.

[in English] Will you hold this, please?

[Mrs. Millward in Welsh] Yes.

Yes, of course.

[in English] Go through.

Mrs. Millward.

[woman] Hello? Silvia?

[Charles chuckles]

[in Welsh] What are you doing hiding there?

What were you thinking?

He has no friends. What was I supposed--

You're not his friend, you're his tutor.

He's just a kid, Silvia.

Oh, my God.

You like him.

I don't like him.

So what if I like him?

Tri.

-Pedwar. -Pedwar.

[Millward] Everything all right in here?

We're nearly up to ten.

He's a very good teacher.

Nearly his bedtime.

Aww.

[Silvia in Welsh] Sleepy time, little man.

-I don't want to. -Na...

No, but there's no choice, hmm?

Mammy and I will come up to say good night.

Hmm? Come on.

Hmm?

[in Welsh] But I was teaching him Welsh. [in English] Two, three, four.

Dau, tri, pedwar.

And you did such a great job.

Next time, you can teach him how to count to a hundred. Oh.

-Say good night. -Good night.

[in English] Good night.

[Millward in Welsh] You haven't been teaching him naughty words?

-No. -[Silvia] Well, I hope not.

[indistinct chatter in Welsh]

Is that how you met? On a march?

Hmm, hmm.

Something like that.

At a little town called Capel Celyn.

I have so many places to visit.

You wouldn't be able to visit anymore.

It's underwater.

Uh...

The government drowned it.

A new reservoir

to provide drinking water for Liverpool, England.

And so one of the last fully Welsh-speaking villages in the land

now rests quietly at the bottom of a lake.

No wonder you feel so strongly.

And no wonder so many people want to...

stop me.

Revenge.

I don't think it's revenge. At least, it shouldn't be.

What people really want is self-determination.

Not being spoken down to. Dominated.

Governed by those so remote, they don't even know you.

Know who you are, or what you think or need.

Yes.

I know how that feels.

[Silvia in Welsh] What do you think he meant by that?

[Millward] I don't know.

And when we took Andras to bed, did you see the look on his face?

Hmm.

I don't think he's ever seen a mother and father do that.

Put their child to bed. Together.

Hmm.

How did he look?

Shattered.

See?

You do feel sorry for him.

Not sorry, no.

-So what if I did feel sorry for him? -[chuckling]

[birds call]

[Charles speaks Welsh]

[speaks Welsh]

Hmm.

[in English] Remember not to rush through your "atmosphere."

Awyrgylch.

-Awyrgylch. -Awyrgylch.

They kindly sent me an invitation to attend the investiture.

I must tell you, there are certain things I draw the line at.

[chuckles]

-I still have my beliefs. -Of course.

[Charles] There is just one other thing.

My speech

was written for me by people who don't know me.

So, of course, it doesn't reflect who I actually am or what I think,

or, indeed, what I have come to learn having been here in Wales,

and there are one or two tiny additions I'd like to make in my own voice,

which actually come from me.

Like what?

[Charles] I've written them in English.

They'd need translating.

Here.

I'll take a look.

[sighs]

[indistinct chatter]

[practices speech in Welsh]

[speaks in Welsh]

[commentator] Good afternoon. This is the BBC.

We welcome you here to this royal principality of Wales,

where eager crowds await the investiture

of Prince Charles

as Prince of Wales

on this historic day.

[knocking at door]

[Charles] Yes.

[door opens]

[door closes]

[Mountbatten] Come on then. Can't keep your audience waiting.

[commentator] Good morning to you,

and bore da from inside Caernarfon Castle

where the preparations are now complete for the arrival of Her Majesty

and, of course, the young man who will one day succeed her.

It's a large turnout for the Prince today,

and the mood among the gathering crowds is one of anticipation, excitement,

and, some might say,

palpable tension.

You're going to be fine.

[door opens]

[door closes]

[crowd cheers]

Charles! Charles!

[booing]

[commentator] A good response from the onlookers.

Only a few boos could be heard,

and otherwise the Welsh people showing enormous support.

[applause]

Two minutes, Your Royal Highness.

[Charles] I, Charles...

Prince of Wales...

to become your liege man of life and limb...

and of earthly worship...

and faith

and truth,

I will bear unto thee...

to live and die against all manner of folks.

[in Welsh] It is with great pride...

that I undertake this privilege today,

in this historic location

and in the spectacular fortress we see around us.

Truly, the...

atmosphere...

and the emotion is enough to make a man tremble.

It was a great honor...

-[in Welsh] Shh! Keep the noise down! -...to be welcomed to Wales...

-and to have my eyes opened... -Shh!

...to the Welsh perspective.

Wales has a history to be proud of,

and it is completely understandable that the Welsh

wish to hold on to their heritage, their native culture,

their identity, their disposition

and their personality as a nation.

It is important we respect that.

Wales has her own identity.

Her own character.

Her own will.

Her own voice.

[continues speech]

[voice fades under background music]

[music plays over dialogue]

[Chares clears throat]

[door opens]

Ah, hello.

Before I left, I just wanted to say thank you.

-For everything. -Oh, pleasure.

[in Welsh] Andras, look who's here.

[in English] And to give you this.

Oh, thank you.

[in Welsh] How are you, Andras?

Very good. Thank you, Charles.

[in English] Very good.

What now?

Straight back to England?

No, a four-day tour of Wales to visit every town, shake every hand.

And listen.

Good for you.

You've done well.

I had a good teacher.

[in Welsh] Stay here.

Charles.

[in English] Uh, I'm curious.

How did the changes you made to the speech go down with your family?

Well, that's the beauty of having done it in Welsh.

They won't have understood a word of what I actually said!

[chuckles]

[in Welsh] Goodbye.

[in Welsh] Goodbye.

Goodbye, Andras!

Goodbye!

[engine starts]

[car door shuts]

[chuckles]

[man] Well, I believe congratulations are in order, sir.

Thank you, Stephen.

I saw it on the television. You looked very, very dapper.

-Grand, wasn't it? -Yes.

Now, sir, would you like a spot of supper?

I...

-Where's the Queen? -Just retired for the night, sir.

Stephen, might you ask if she'll see me?

Very good, sir.

[sighs]

[exhales]

Her Majesty hoped it might wait until morning, sir.

But if not, she will see you briefly in her bedroom.

[knocking at door]

Come in.

[door opens]

[jewelry rattles]

Is that it?

Is that the welcoming committee?

What more is to be said?

How about, "Thank you," or, "Well done"?

If we all had to thank one another every time we did anything in this family,

we'd never get anywhere.

I've just been on a very challenging post-investiture tour of Wales.

It went better than anyone expected.

Thank you.

You were sent to Wales to show respect,

and heal divisions, not inflict them on your own family.

I did nothing of the sort.

I've had the opportunity now to read the translation of what you actually said,

and the inferences you made.

The similarity between Wales's suffering and yours was clear.

-Was it? -Unmistakable.

Only to you.

To all Wales, apparently.

"If this union is to endure,

then we must learn to respect each other's differences.

Nobody likes to be ignored,

to not be seen or heard or listened to."

Well, am I wrong?

Isn't there a similarity between my predicament and the Welsh?

Am I listened to in this family?

Am I seen for who and what I am? No.

Do I have a voice?

Rather too much of a voice for my liking.

Not having a voice is something all of us have to live with.

We have all made sacrifices and suppressed who we are.

Some portion of our natural selves is always lost.

That is a choice.

It is not a choice.

It is a duty.

I was a similar age to you when your great-grandmother, Queen Mary,

told me that to do nothing, to say nothing, is the hardest job of all.

It requires every ounce of energy that we have.

To be impartial is not natural, it's not human.

People will always want us to smile or agree,

or frown or speak,

and the minute that we do, we will have declared a position, a point of view,

and that is the one thing as the royal family

we are not entitled to do.

Which is why we have to hide those feelings, keep them to ourselves.

Because the less we do, the less we say or speak or agree or--

Or think...

or breathe...

or feel or exist.

The better.

But doing that is perhaps not as easy for me as it is for you.

-Why? -Because I... have a beating heart.

A character.

A mind and a will of my own.

I am not just a symbol.

I can lead not just by wearing a uniform, or by cutting a ribbon,

but by showing people who I am.

Mummy, I have a voice.

Let me let you into a secret.

No one wants to hear it.

Are you talking about the country...

or my own family?

No one.

[door closes]

[Charles] For within the hollow crown

rounds the mortal temples of a king

keeps Death his court

and there the antic sits,

scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp...

allowing him a breath...

a little scene to monarchize.

Be fear'd and kill with looks...

infusing him with self and vain conceit...

as if this flesh which walls about our life, were brass impregnable...

and humor'd thus comes at the last

and with a little pin...

bores through his castle wall,

and farewell king!

Cover your heads...

and mock not flesh and blood

with solemn reverence...

throw away respect,

tradition,

form and ceremonious duty...

for you have but mistook me all this while

I live with bread like you,

feel want...

taste grief...

need friends...

subjected thus,

how can you say to me...

I am a king?

[in Welsh] ♪ I've a little friend Who lives in Buckingham Palace ♪

♪ And Carlo Windsor is his name ♪

♪ Last time I went to knock on his door ♪

♪ His mother answered and she told me ♪

♪ Oh, Carlo, Carlo ♪

♪ Carlo's playing polo today, today ♪

♪ Carlo, Carlo ♪

♪ Carlo's playing polo With Daddy, Daddy ♪

♪ Join in the song ♪

♪ People old and young ♪

♪ Finally we have a "Prince" ♪

♪ In the land of song ♪

♪ Oh, Carlo, Carlo ♪

♪ Carlo's playing polo today, today ♪

♪ Carlo, Carlo ♪

♪ Carlo's playing polo With Daddy, Daddy ♪

♪ Join in the song ♪

♪ People old and young ♪

♪ Finally we have a "Prince" ♪

♪ In the land of song ♪