“The Most Expensive TV Series Ever Made” – Part II

Last week, Part I of this post described the several British sites that stand in for the (reportedly much less elegant) Buckingham Palace in the Netflix tv series, The Crown. In addition to the three properties mentioned, Lancaster House, built in the 19th century for the Duke of York, offers the Picture Gallery where Diana roller-skated. It also was used in Young Victoria, The King’s Speech, and the episode of Downton Abbey where the Crawleys are presented to the King and Queen.

Interiors of the French chateau in Buckinghamshire called Waddesdon Manor (pictured above)—the only one of the forty-some properties once owned by the Rothschilds that remains intact—also are used and have appeared in The Queen, An Ideal Husband, and the Lovejoy series. Goldsmith’s Hall, much fancier I trust than U.S. union halls, is where Diana’s grandmother began schooling her on being part of the royal family.

Windsor Castle

Windsor is the largest occupied castle in the world. It’s portrayed by a number of locations: Audley End in Essex (especially the great hall with heraldry in the coffered ceiling, pictured); Burghley House in Lincolnshire (seen in Bleak House, The Buccaneers, and Pride and Prejudice); and Belvoir Castle, in Lincolnshire, which belongs to the Dukes of Rutland. Viewers of The Crown saw Princess Margaret there. Also filmed at Belvoir Castle: Young Sherlock Holmes, The Da Vinci Code, and The Golden Bowl.

Kensington Palace

The one requirement for stand-ins for Kensington Palace is that they display a lot of red brick. IRL Princess Margaret and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate and William) have lived there. 

Kensington’s stand-ins have included Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, which is a popular location for shooting ballroom scenes, and has appeared in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Love in a Cold Climate and an Inspector Morse episode. When Princesses Margaret and Diana meet in a courtyard, they are actually at Wellington College in Berkshire. Another Hertfordshire shooting location is Wrotham Park, location of the room where Queen Elizabeth meets with her Prime Ministers. Its exteriors, staircase, and several rooms were used in Gosford Park.

Balmoral Castle

This is the only royal residence that uses only one filming location. The Ardverikie Estate in the Scottish Highlands (pictured above). Balmoral was constructed under the direction of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert in the Scottish Baronial style. It also was used in the filming of Mrs. Brown and No Time to Die, the new James Bond movie whose release has been postponed, yet again.

See the sites used to give us a more glamorous Buckingham Palace here.

4 thoughts on ““The Most Expensive TV Series Ever Made” – Part II

  1. Once again. A very interesting detail of a favorite show ‘s location during Covid lockdown.
    Thank you.
    Ann R

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