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Jason Watkins revealed why filming The Crown season three was difficult following the death of his daughter

An episode of the new series focuses on the Aberfan disaster, which killed 116 children and 28 adults

TV & Film Editor
November 13, 2019

Jason Watkins has opened up about why filming season three of The Crown was so challenging following the death of his young daughter, Maude. The actor, who plays Prime Minister Harold Wilson in the Netflix show, admitted that he found filming scenes at Aberfan, where over 100 children were killed back in 1966 in a landslide, every difficult.

Jason and Clara's daughter Maude died when she was two

Speaking to Lorraine, he explained: "It's an incredibly moving film, each episode is a film in itself, we filmed not far from Aberfan. The care and attention that was taken by everyone in production. And people probably know I lost a child, me and my wife Clara lost Maude in 2011, so to go and have an episode about the loss of a child was very difficult. And I think I suppose above anyone else wanted to make it in the right way. It helps us to remember what happened... I'm very proud to be part of that, no matter how difficult it was."

READ: Actors who have played members of the royal family

Jason has previously opened up about Maude, who devastatingly passed away from sepsis when she was just two in 2011. Speaking on Lorraine, he explained that he and his wife Clara Francis thought that their daughter had the flu, and took her to their GP and then to A&E twice during her illnessl. After they were sent home from the hospital, the couple put their daughter to bed. The next morning, the couple's other daughter came in to tell them she couldn't wake her sibling. He also shared a photo of her on what would have been her birthday back in October on Twitter, writing: "Maudie - Here she is. Full of joy. She was so happy. I look at this and just can't believe she's gone. We have to remember her like this, like she was, however painful."

READ: The Crown season three review: Meet your new Queen

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