The Crown star Erin Doherty says her Carndonagh granda was an inspiration

The 28-year old star was born in West Sussex but her father is originally from Donegal, however, it is her grandfather and his Carndonagh accent she credits for igniting her curiosity in people and their speech and mannerisms.

In a recent magazine interview she revealed that at times she couldn’t always understand his Donegal accent and that; “I remember being so scared of him because his voice was so booming and his accent was so thick, he sort of became this fantastical figure I could barely understand but knew I didn’t want to get on the wrong side of!

“He’s probably where my fascination with speech comes from and how our voices can have a huge impact on our relationships and how people see us.”

This fascination with his accent and mannerisms helped her when preparing for her role as Princess Anne. Doherty watched hours of footage on YouTube and walked around her local park, with headphones on listening to that voice on repeat.

Like many with Irish roots, Erin has a longing to live her for a bit, in a post-Covid world and her current daydream is to run away and live in a cottage in rural Donegal.

“My main goal is to get a little cottage in the middle of nowhere and live out my Irish fantasy for a month or something,” she said.

“I’ll be drinking Guinness and loving my life.”

Keeping with their tradition of replacing actors to fit their characters’ ages, Doherty said goodbye to Netflix’s royal drama, which happened to be produced by the Derry man Andrew Eaton, after two seasons as Princess Anne.