The Crown filming locations you can actually visit

Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace - the seat of the Royal Family

To commemorate the iconic royal show’s return to our screens this autumn, here we list some of the The Crown filming locations around Britain you can actually visit…

Words by Kaeah Sen

The Crown, Netflix’s über-successful drama about the British royal family, is known for its evocative score, breath-taking cinematography, and stellar performances. However, it is the show’s set design and architecture which really captures the viewer’s imagination, and even more impressive is the fact that these places really do exist.

To commemorate the iconic show’s return to our screens this autumn for its sixth and final season, join us as we round up some of the stunning estates, palaces, and cathedrals across the UK that feature as The Crown’s filming locations.

The Crown filming locations you can actually visit

1. ELY CATHEDRAL

This remarkable feat of medieval engineering, completed in 1342, has a rich and vibrant history; from Norman invasions to religious reform, this cathedral has played its part in the story of England. The Cambridgeshire landmark’s dramatic interiors were used as a stand-in for Westminster Abbey to film an occasion that was just as magical as the cathedral itself – the wedding of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip.

Cathedral Britain The Crown
Ely Cathedral. Credit: Karen Cann on Unsplash

Read more about Ely Cathedral here.

2. WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL

Perhaps most notable for being the burial place of writer Jane Austen, Winchester Cathedral’s magnificent gothic architecture is certainly impressive. The interiors of the cathedral are a very practical filming location, and as such it was used to recreate St Paul’s Cathedral in London for Winston Churchill’s funeral at the beginning of the show’s third season. More recently, the cast and crew were spotted in Winchester once again to film the funeral of Princess Diana, which will appear in the upcoming sixth season.

Cathedral Britain The Crown
Winchester Cathedral. Credit: Mario La Pergola on Unsplash

Read more about Winchester Cathedral here.

3. BELVOIR CASTLE

This picture-perfect nineteenth-century castle, located in Leicestershire, is filled with opulent rooms and galleries bursting with impressive artworks. It is no surprise, then, that several rooms within the castle were used to replicate rooms from Windsor Castle, where the Royal Family spends much of their time in the show, and in real life.

the crown filming locations
The real Windsor Castle. Credit: Simon Hurry on Unsplash

Read more about Belvoir Castle here.

4. ST ANDREWS

The dramatic town of St Andrews, located on the Scottish coast, will feature as one of The Crown filming locations in the show’s upcoming sixth season, serving as a very important location – the meeting place of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The pair met back when they were studying at St Andrews University in the early noughties, and the town’s rugged coastline and medieval architecture are certainly conducive to a fairy-tale romance.

St Andrews Scotland
St Andrews, Scotland. Credit: Laila Gebhard on Unsplash

Read more about St Andrews here.

5. BURGHLEY HOUSE

This grand property built by William Cecil, the Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, oozes with sixteenth-century grandeur, making it perfect to feature as one of The Crown’s filming locations. Unfortunately for viewers of The Crown, this ‘house’ was not seen on screen in its full glory – it served as a stand-in for Windsor Castle in season five, showing the devastation of the fire that ripped through the castle in 1992. However, Burghley itself is stunning and worth visiting, as was discovered by a number of real-life royals who went to the property, including Princesses Anne and Diana.

the crown filming locations
Burghley House

Read more about Burghley House here.

6. YORK MINSTER

The show’s cast and crew were spotted at the iconic Minster in York earlier this year, where they recreated the 2005 wedding of His Majesty, then Prince Charles, and Camilla Parker-Bowles, something which we await eagerly in the show’s upcoming sixth season. The pair actually got married St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, but York Minster’s iconic spires and jaw-dropping façades served as a more practical filming location.

the crown filming locations
York Minster, York. Credit: Al Elmes on UNsplash

Read more about York Minster here.

7. ARDVERIKIE ESTATE

With Scotland being the preferred holiday location of the Royal family, it is evident that the show’s creators wanted to make use of the country’s dramatic backdrops and isolate landscapes for filming. Balmoral Castle in Scotland, a favourite of the Queen’s, is private property, so the regal Scottish baronial architecture of this Inverness-shire estate served as the perfect substitute.

the crown filming locations
The rugged and beautiful Scottish Highlands

Read more about Ardverikie Estate here.

While the crews over at Netflix were unable to film in many of the real-life locations featured in the show, those places – including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Sandringham Estate – are all available to visit.

Read more about those properties – and many other royal residences across the UK – here.

The Crown Season Six will be coming to Netflix in Autumn 2023.

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