I'm Welsh and of a similar vintage to Carlo Bach (Little Charlie, also Chuck, or Dumbo because of the ears). I remember the investiture well, as a Swansea schoolgirl at the time (we got the afternoon off school for our stop on the royal tour referred to in the episode; I think we were supposed to line the route and do loyal cheering, but we went to the pictures instead). What struck me about this account - very affectingly played by Josh O'Connor, I thought, made me feel some sympathy for the lad for the first time in 50 years - was how played down the politics was. Unless I missed it, no-one mentioned the botched bombing the night before (at least one of the bombers blew themselves up, but I think someone innocent was also killed or hurt - I haven't checked and my ageing memory may be at fault) or the fact that the whole shebang was partially in response to a growing undercurrent of Welsh nationalism at the time. My recollection is that the 'learning Welsh' thing was well received. That song at the end was by Dafydd Iwan, a big name in nationalist circles at the time (and still with us, I think) - it was widely circulated at the time but I've never heard it since until now. The horror of the queen's hat has never left me, though. The recreation somehow does not quite capture its full Cyberman appallingness.
Apropos the perceived incomprehensibility of Welsh, once you have learned the alphabet it is pronounced as written. English speakers get thrown when they encounter what they think are consonants (w and y) but in Welsh are vowels. I am not a Welsh speaker but can pronounce anything I see written because we were taught the alphabet. There was a clever subtlety in the actor's performance in that his Welsh was more fluent behind the scenes with the man from Plaid Cymru than it seemed to be when delivering the speech for real. Someone asked how the Welsh language is doing these days. It's thriving. The arrival of a dedicated TV channel and acceptance that it should have equal official status with English stopped much of the rot. Incoming English people choosing to learn it and have their kids learn it also helped.
I love these comments. It's very interesting to me to see how Americans see British programmes - often very insightful. For the record, I also prefer Foy to Colman.
