the crown season 5 royal yacht britannia

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What really happened to Royal Yacht Britannia from ‘The Crown’ Season 5?

LONDON — The much-hyped fifth season of “The Crown” opens with a heavy-handed metaphor weighing approximately 4,000 tons.

It’s 1953, and a young Queen Elizabeth II, a month before her coronation, is in Scotland to launch the new royal yacht, the Britannia. “I hope this brand-new vessel, like your brand-new queen, will prove to be dependable and constant, capable of weathering any storm,” she declares to great applause.

And so the queen and her ship are inextricably linked as the Netflix TV show fast-forwards to 1991, when questions about costly repairs for the Britannia are presented in parallel to questions about whether the 65-year-old queen is too old for her role.

King Charles III wants to look ahead. ‘The Crown’ drags him back.

There is no missing that this is a narrative device in a series now labeled a “fictional dramatization.” But the episode’s release this week has renewed interest in the history of the royal yacht and ignited a debate about how the British monarch interacted with her government. It also happened to coincide with a modern-day echo of 1991, as new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, facing a recession, sank plans for a replacement royal yacht.

What to know about Britannia, ‘the floating palace’

There is a real Royal Yacht Britannia, and, as in the show, the young queen really did announce its name and christen it with a bottle of Empire wine. (Though not with a self-referential speech.)

The Britannia was the latest in a series of royal yachts dating back to 1660 and King Charles II . In 44 years of service, the ship sailed more than 1 million nautical miles — equivalent to more than 40 circumnavigations of Earth — calling at more than 600 ports in 135 countries and projecting British influence around the world.

The Britannia was used for state visits and receptions, royal family holidays and honeymoons. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton all spent time on board, as did Boris Yeltsin and Nelson Mandela. When civil war broke out in South Yemen in 1986, the yacht was rerouted to help evacuate civilians.

“The Crown” suggests the yacht was the queen’s favorite “home,” cherished even more than Balmoral in the Scottish highlands. Biographers don’t dispute that this could have been true. In his book “Queen of Our Times,” Robert Hardman writes, “There were few places where the Queen would be happier.”

Although served by a crew of 220, the ship was a place where the royal family could relax and escape the watchful eye of the public. Hugh Casson, who designed the interior, once recounted, “the overall idea was to give the impression of a country house at sea.” Prince Philip, the queen’s husband, was fascinated with the birds he saw during voyages in the 1950s and even published a book titled “Birds from Britannia.”

Did the queen lobby for repairs?

The controversial part of “The Crown” portrayal centers on whether the queen actively lobbied Prime Minister John Major for the government to pay for extensive repairs — which could have amounted to inappropriate interference in politics by a constitutional monarch.

She says in the show: “Here I am, coming to you, prime minister, on bended knee, for the sign-off, but I’m hoping that will be a formality.”

The character of Major, who was prime minister during a tough recession, responds by suggesting the royal yacht is “something of a luxury” and that spending public money on it while the economy is in the tank would not be good for the government or the royal family.

The queen persists, arguing that the yacht is “a central and indispensable part of the way the crown serves the nation” and “a floating, seagoing expression of me.”

The queen-ship metaphor is dragged out in a later conversation, when the character of Prince Charles — impatient to be king — tells Major about the Britannia: “Sometimes these old things are too costly to keep repairing.”

So did any of that actually take place?

The real-life Major has called the show’s imagined conversations “a barrel-load of nonsense.”

Robert Lacey, a historical consultant on “The Crown,” defended the depiction. He told The Washington Post that the subject of the yacht would have inevitably come up between the queen and the prime minister, who met once a week to discuss matters of state.

“She certainly spoke about it to the prime minister,” Lacey said. “Obviously, the royal family would have lobbied for it. The queen did want another royal yacht.”

Hardman, the royal biographer, insisted that while the queen no doubt would have been interested in repairs or a replacement, she would not have “leaned on her prime ministers for money.”

In a letter written in 1994, later stored in the National Archives, the queen’s deputy private secretary Kenneth Scott wrote to the cabinet office that “the Queen would naturally very much welcome it if a way could be found of making available for the nation in the 21st century the kind of service which Britannia has provided for the last 43 years.”

Scott noted, however, that “the question of whether there should be a replacement yacht is very much one for the government” and “the last thing I should like to see is a newspaper headline saying ‘Queen Demands New Yacht.’”

The Times of London headline when the letter was uncovered in 2018: “ I want a new yacht, Queen told Whitehall in secret letter .”

What happened to the Britannia?

Major’s government wasn’t swayed by arguments to repair or renew the ship. Even with a retrofit costing an estimated 17 million pounds, the Britannia would be expensive to run and hard to maintain. It was hard to justify when air travel was a readily available alternative for royal trips and trade missions.

The yacht’s final voyage abroad was to Hong Kong in 1997, when the territory was handed back to China. A few months later, the Britannia undertook a farewell tour of Britain, calling at six major ports and blasting its sirens as it passed the shipyard that built it, before returning for a decommissioning ceremony in Portsmouth, England on Dec. 11, 1997. The ship’s clocks were stopped. The Royal Marines band played. Lacey noted: “The only time the queen was seen to cry was when the royal yacht was de-commissioned.”

The ship is now a visitor attraction site in Edinburgh, Scotland. On the day of the queen’s state funeral in September, a lone piper played a lament on the deck.

What about plans for a replacement royal yacht?

The possibility of a replacement yacht gained some traction during the 1997 general election, but the incoming Labour government nixed the idea.

More than two decades later, as part of a campaign to promote a reinvigorated “Global Britain” in the aftermath of Brexit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed a new royal yacht . There was a push to name the ship after Prince Philip, who died last year, though it would be more for the government than for the royal family. In Johnson’s vision, the ship would tour the world as a “floating embassy,” where officials would host summits and cement trade deals. It would cost an estimated 250 million pounds to build, plus 30 million pounds a year to run.

But once again, the economic climate is not favorable for big yacht projects. The new Sunak administration announced this week that it was terminating the royal yacht plan and would instead procure a surveillance ship that could protect energy cables and other infrastructure. The prime minister’s spokesman said it was “right to prioritize at a time when difficult spending decisions need to be made.”

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What to Know About the Royal Yacht Britannia Featured on 'The Crown' Season 5

The Royal Yacht Britannia served as the official royal yacht of the British monarchy for 44 years

The Crown is diving into royal events from the '90s in season 5 , and that includes the decommissioning of Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia.

In the first episode of the new season, Claire Foy ( who portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1 and 2) reprises her role as the monarch as a flashback shows the yacht's official launch in April 1953.

At the time, the new yacht held special significance as it was launched by the Queen just before her own coronation in June 1953 .

Through the years, the vessel sailed over 1,000,000 nautical miles on 968 state visits with the royal family as they entertained prime ministers and presidents, per the Royal Yacht Britannia website. It also served as the venue for several royal honeymoons , including Princess Diana and Princes Charles in 1981 .

From when it was commissioned to where the Royal Yacht Britannia is now, here's everything to know about the royal yacht.

When was the Royal Yacht Britannia commissioned?

As shown on The Crown , Royal Yacht Britannia was officially launched on April 16, 1953 , at the shipyard of John Brown & Co. Ltd in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, where Queen Elizabeth unveiled the yacht's official name.

Following Queen Elizabeth 's coronation on June 2, 1953, the Royal Yacht Britannia was commissioned into the Royal Navy on January 11, 1954, before sailing her first overseas port on April 22.

How big is the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The Royal Yacht Britannia is about 412 feet long , with a beam width of 55 feet and five decks , and weighs over 4,000 tons.

Who used the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The yacht was described as the royal family's "floating residence" during its 44 years of service. As it was used to host "magnificent state receptions and banquets, and guests ," numerous world leaders boarded the yacht over the years, including Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan and Rajiv Gandhi.

Per the Royal Yacht Britannia website, the yacht also " allowed the Royal Family some rare privacy away from their public duties and was famously described by HM Queen Elizabeth II as 'the one place I can truly relax.' "

Furthermore, the Royal Yacht Britannia was the venue of four royal honeymoons : Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. All four royal marriages ended in divorce, which Queen Elizabeth famously reflected on in her 1992 speech where she referred to the past year as her "annus horribilis ," or horrible year.

When was the Royal Yacht Britannia decommissioned?

The yacht's retirement was announced in 1994 as a result of the substantial costs needed to repair the ship. It was estimated that the cost would £17 million, which would only prolong the yacht for another five years.

On December 11, 1997, the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned during an official ceremony that was attended by most of the senior members of the royal family. It was been reported that Queen Elizabeth was seen uncharacteristically shedding a tear during the decommissioning.

"Looking back over 44 years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction," the Queen said at the time .

Where is the Royal Yacht Britannia now?

Listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, people can now visit the Royal Yacht Britannia at Port of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland. Visitors are able to see various parts of the yacht including Britannia's five decks, the state apartments, as well as the Sun Lounge, which was the Queen's favorite room in which to have her afternoon tea.

Does the Royal Yacht Britannia have a successor?

Plans for a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia first began in 2019 when it was reported that the late Sir Donald Gosling had donated £50 million to pay for the construction . In 2021, the yacht was commissioned by Boris Johnson to host trade fairs and diplomatic events and it was expected to go into service in 2024 or 2025.

However, in November 2022, it was reported by BBC that plans for the yacht were being scrapped as the government "searches for spending cuts." The new yacht was estimated to cost up to £250 million.

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What Happened To Britannia? The Fate of Queen's Beloved Yacht

After more than two years of waiting, Season 5 of The Crown has made its way to Netflix and fans have already been sinking their teeth into the series, with all 10 episodes available to watch in one go.

Episode 1 is titled ' Queen Victoria Syndrome' and sees the future of the monarchy as the world knew it in jeopardy, with British public opinion allegedly dissatisfied with the institution.

In The Crown , the Queen, played by Imelda Staunton , is blissfully unaware of the discontent as Royal staffers and family attempt to protect her from the news.

Therefore, when she asks Prime Minister John Major (Jonny Lee Miller) for her treasured yacht, the Britannia, to undergo a refurbishment, which would cost the public millions, she cannot understand Major's reluctance to put the idea to the government.

Now, Newsweek has everything you need to know about the Queen's beloved yacht, HMY Britannia.

What Happened to Britannia?

Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, and built by Scottish shipbuilding firm John Brown & Company Ltd in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, and was launched on April 16, 1953, by Queen Elizabeth II .

Her maiden voyage was from Portsmouth to Grand Harbour, Malta in April 1954, with Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Princess Anne (Claudia Harrison) on board.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh (Jonathan Pryce) made their first journey on Britannia to Tobruk, Libya on May 1, 1954.

In total, Britannia sailed for 43 years, ending its time at sea on December 11, 1997. In total, she is thought to have traveled more than a million nautical miles around the world's oceans.

Today, Britannia is permanently berthed at the Ocean Terminal, Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland. Members of the public are able to visit the marvelous yacht as well as the racing yacht, Bloodhound, once owned by the Queen and Prince Philip.

In The Crown Season 5, the Queen and Prince Philip are seen asking Conservative PM Major to approve a £14.745 million refurbishment.

In Episode 1, Major tells the Queen and Philip that spending public money on the yacht at the time of a global recession would not bode well with the general public and as a result, have detrimental effects on the monarchy and the government.

Nevertheless, in The Crown , the Queen demands that the government sign off on the repairs, with Major feeling pressure to agree.

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However, in 1994, the Conservative Government announced the yacht's official retirement, citing costs of over £17 million to only extend the yacht's life for five more years.

Then in 1997, with a general election on the horizon, the Conservative government announced they would recommission the yacht if they were re-elected. However, Labour won the election and declined to recommission the Britannia.

The Britannia's final voyage took place in July 1997 to convey the last Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten , and the Prince of Wales back from Hong Kong after its handover to the People's Republic of China.

At its decommissioning ceremony in Portsmouth on December 11, 1997, the Queen and was spotted shedding a tear (see below).

Britannia's Notable Moments

Britannia was designed to transform into a hospital ship in the event of a war, but this purpose was never required. Britannia was also intended for the Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh to take refuge in the event of a nuclear war.

It could host 250 guests and was manned by 21 officers from the Royal Navy and 250 Royal Yachtsmen.

Following its maiden voyage, Britannia sailed Saint Lawrence Seaway on the way to Chicago where she docked, making the Queen the first British monarch to visit the U.S. city of Chicago.

Prince Charles and his wife Princess Diana traveled on the Brittania for their honeymoon cruise in 1981, sailing around the Mediterranean and Greek Islands. Several U.S. presidents also visited the Britannia, including Gerald Ford , Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton .

On January 17, 1986, the ship evacuated over 1,000 refugees from the civil war in Aden, Yemen, with the yacht's drawing rooms used as a temporary dormitory.

On average, Britannia has over 300,000 visitors per year, breaking records in 2018 with 390,848 attendees.

The Crown Season 5 is streaming on Netflix now.

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Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on culture and entertainment. She has covered the world of Film and TV extensively from true-crime dramas to reality TV and blockbuster movies. Molli joined Newsweek in 2021 from the Daily Express. She is a graduate of The University of Glasgow. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with Molli by emailing [email protected].

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What Happened to the Royal Yacht Britannia?

By Elise Taylor

The Crown season five begins and ends with the same plot point: The Royal Yacht Britannia. The vessel serves as a—fairly obvious—metaphor in the first episode, where Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth describes it as “a floating, seagoing version of me.” The problem with her metaphorical marine self? It’s in desperate need of multi-million dollar repairs. 

She asks British prime minister John Major, played by Jonny Lee Miller, whether the government might be able to help foot the bill. He, in turn, asks if the royal family might front the cost, given the public pushback they both might receive if such a seemingly extravagant project was approved. In the final episode of the season (a note to the reader: spoilers will follow), Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth agree to decommission the yacht after Prince Charles’s trip to Hong Kong.

The Crown is known for taking much of its plot material from real-life events. In the case of the Royal Yacht Britannia, though—what really happened to the boat, and how much political controversy did it really cause?

To go back to the beginning, King George VI first commissioned the royal yacht that would become the Britannia in 1952. It was an exciting project, as the previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria, and was rarely used. (Queen Victoria, for one, did not like the water and never sailed.) Then, during the early 20th century, England was mostly at war, and making a massive, slow-sailing luxury ship would be a massive security risk in international waters. 

The Royal Yacht Britannia, George decided, should both be an extravagant vessel and a functional one, able to double as a hospital if times of war were to arise again. In 1953, the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth christened the ship with a bottle of wine, as champagne was still seen as too extravagant post-war. In 1954, she set sail for the first time.

The Royal Yacht fulfilled many functions, most of them leisurely. Over the years, the boat hosted four royal honeymoons, including that of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, as well as many family vacations. In 1969, after his investiture as the Prince of Wales, Charles hosted an intimate party on board to celebrate. (Newspapers at the time wrote that he danced with his dear friend Lucia Santa Cruz —the very person who eventually introduced him to Camilla Parker Bowles.)

It also served as a grandiose mode of transport for many royal visits. In 1959, for example, Britannia sailed to Chicago to celebrate the recently-opened St. Lawrence seaway in Canada, and President Eisenhower joined her on board. Twenty years later, she sailed to Abu Dhabi for her first official visit to the United Arab Emirates, where she held a grand dinner for Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

And although Queen Elizabeth's reign was not during wartime, the royal yacht did execute a humanitarian mission, as King George VI had always planned for: In 1986, it sailed to Aden to evacuate over 1,000 refugees from the civil war in Yemen.

The New York Times once described the 412-foot Britannia as “an ordinary yacht what Buckingham Palace is to the house next door.” It wasn’t an exaggeration—Britannia was essentially a floating palace. It had a drawing room, a dining room, two sitting rooms, as well as galleys and cabins for all the officers. The stateroom interiors were just as ornate as any other royal estate, while the bedrooms—which all had their own bathrooms and dressing rooms—were designed to feel surprisingly personal. 

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By Kiana Murden

“Within the royal apartments, however, the regal elegance gives way to the homey, patched elbow chic of an English country house, with flowered chintz slipcovers, family photographs, and rattan settees, interspersed with the occasional relic of Empire—shark's teeth from the Solomon Islands here, a golden urn commemorating Nelson's victory at Trafalgar there,” the New York Times found when it boarded the ship in 1976.

The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. Politicians raised questions about its financial value as far back as 1954, when two MPs lobbied for an investigation on why the yacht’s refurbishment would cost 5.8 million pounds, accusing the royal family of waste and extravagance. A government committee later dismissed the accusations. In 1994, the Conservative government ruled the yacht too costly to refurbish, when repairs came in at a whopping 17 million, but then briefly walked back on their decision a few years later. 

However, when Tony Blair’s Labour government won the election, and the new government once again declined to pay for Britannia. Britannia’s final journey was to far-flung Hong Kong in 1997, as Prince Charles turned over the British colony back to the Chinese at the end of Britain's 99-year lease. When they finally decommissioned the boat that summer, the queen cried—one of the few times she’s shown emotion in public. The boat had logged over one million nautical miles.

Today, Britannia sits permanently docked in Edinburgh. Visitors can take tours of its grand galleys, or even rent it out for events. Yet, despite its retirement, the concept of the royal yacht lives on: In 2021, Boris Johnson floated the idea of a new boat. However, a mere eight days ago, Rishi Sunak has scrapped the project—showing that, even now, the concept remains a controversial one.

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The true story of the Royal Yacht Britannia from The Crown Season 5

What really happened to the floating palace?

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Season 5 of The Crown calls the Royal Yacht Britannia the Queen’s favourite home as viewers watch the family try to save the floating palace. But what really happened to the royal yacht and what did the royal family truly think of it?

• After watching The Queen and her family fight to save their Royal Yacht, Britannia, the Crown's fifth season has viewers wondering what happened to the real Royal Yacht
• Using commentary from biographers, we break down how much of The Crown's storyline is based on fact and which parts are completely made up
• In other royal news , The Crown fans spot awkward blunder in season 5 - did you notice it?

The blurring of fact and fiction in Netflix 's The Crown has viewers once again asking if its portrayal of royal life is true to fact, slightly exaggerated or completely made up. This time the speculation surrounds the story of the royal yacht, the Britannia.

Season five uses the yacht as a heavy-handed metaphor, with questions about the costly repairs needed to keep the ageing Britannia up to par are presented alongside questions about whether the ageing queen, who is then 65-years-old, is too old for her role.

Clearly the narrative here is used to enhance the storytelling, but there is a lot of truth behind the quarrels over the royal family's beloved yacht. 

There is a real Royal Yacht Britannia, and, just like in the show, the young queen announced its name and christened it with a bottle of Empire wine. In it's 44 years of service, the Britannia was used for state visits and receptions, hosting Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton as well as Boris Yeltsin and Nelson Mandela, and was also used for royal family holidays and honeymoons. 

When civil war broke out in South Yemen in 1986, the yacht was even rerouted to help evacuate civilians.

In The Crown, the yacht is presented as the queen’s favourite “home,” a fact that real-life biographers agree with. In his book Queen of Our Times, Robert Hardman explains, “There were few places where the Queen would be happier.”

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The ship, though served by a huge crew of 220, was a haven for the royal family to relax and escape the scrutinising eye of the public. According to The Washington Post, Hugh Casson, who designed the interior, once said, “the overall idea was to give the impression of a country house at sea.”

The Crown episode centres around whether the Queen lobbied the then Prime Minister, John Major, for the government to pay for the boats extensive repairs while the country was facing a tough recession. She says in the show, “Here I am, coming to you, prime minister, on bended knee, for the sign-off, but I’m hoping that will be a formality.”

The real-life John Major called the show’s portrayal of his conversations with the Queen “a barrel-load of nonsense.” But Robert Lacey, a historical consultant on The Crown, defended the depiction. 

Speaking to The Washington Post, he argued that the subject of the yacht would have undeniably come up between the Queen and the PM, who met once a week to discuss matters of state. He said, “She certainly spoke about it to the prime minister. Obviously, the royal family would have lobbied for it. The queen did want another royal yacht.”

Robert Hardman, the royal biographer, also gave his opinion on the matter, saying that the Queen would 'no doubt' have been interested in repairs or even a replacement for the yacht, but that she would not have “leaned on her prime ministers for money.” A letter written in 1994 by the queen’s deputy private secretary that was sent to the cabinet office, and was uncovered in 2018, backs up Hardman's opinion. 

So what happened to the Britannia? John Major’s government decided against paying for the 44-year-old ship's repairs and, after a final voyage abroad to Hong Kong and a farewell tour of Britain, a decommissioning ceremony took place in Portsmouth on December the 11th, 1997. 

The ship’s clocks stopped, the Royal Marines band played and, according to Robert Lacey, “the only time the queen was seen to cry was when the royal yacht was decommissioned.”

Related articles:

• Princess Diana’s private secretary Patrick Jephson fact-checks The Crown Season 5 and shares what “was made up”
• Prince Philip tried to sue The Crown over comments blaming him for the death of his sister, royal expert reveals
• Who is Princess Diana’s friend Dr. James Colthurst and who plays him in The Crown?
• Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull: Who is the Prince’s friend, and who plays her in The Crown season 5?
• Did Charles want the Queen to abdicate? Fact vs fiction in The Crown season 5

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.

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10 surprising facts about the Royal Yacht Britannia, one of the Queen's favorite homes, featured on 'The Crown'

• The Royal Yacht Britannia was the royal family's private yacht from 1953 to 1997.
• The Queen once said that "Britannia is the one place where I can truly relax."
• The ship has made several appearances in Netflix's "The Crown," including season five.

The Royal Yacht Britannia served as the royal family's private yacht from 1953 to 1997. The Queen shed a rare public tear when it was decommissioned.

The first episode of season five of Netflix's "The Crown" flashes back to 1954, when Queen Elizabeth christened the Royal Yacht Britannia, and shows the royal family spending time aboard the luxurious ship.

Later on in the episode, when asked if Balmoral is her favorite home, Imelda Staunton's Queen Elizabeth replies, "There is another that's even more special to me," alluding to the Royal Yacht being her favorite.

Despite the Queen's fondness for the Britannia, the Labour government decided to decommission it in 1997 due to its high operation cost of £11 million each year, Reuters reported . That's equivalent to about $23 million today.

At the decommissioning ceremony, the Queen shed a rare public tear .

Shouting was forbidden on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Officers wore gym shoes to stay silent near areas where the royal family ate and slept, according to the yacht's official website .

Children were assigned an officer known as a "sea daddy" to look over them while onboard.

"Sea daddies" kept royal children entertained with activities like treasure hunts and water fights.

There was a room aboard the ship called the "Jelly Room" that existed for the sole purpose of storing royal children's jellies, a gelatin dessert that Americans might call "Jell-O."

In addition to the chilled "Jelly Room," the yacht had a total of three galley kitchens where chefs from Buckingham Palace prepared meals.

The State Dining Room tables, which could seat 56 people, took three hours to set.

The location of each utensil was measured meticulously with a ruler, according to the book " Royal Transport: An Inside Look at the History of Royal Travel " by Peter Pigott.

All of the clocks onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia are stopped at 3:01 pm.

The clocks are frozen at the time the Queen stepped off the ship for the last time during its decommissioning ceremony in December 1997.

The ship had a full-time staff of more than 240 yachtsmen, known as "yotties."

The Royal Yacht Britannia cost an estimated $15 million to operate each year, Reuters reported .

The "yotties" had a daily ration of rum until the 1970s.

Yotties carried out a range of duties , including scrubbing the decks, polishing silverware, arranging flowers, and diving beneath the ship to search the seabed.

The former royal yachtsmen reunite annually to help maintain the ship.

Founded in 1989, the Association of Royal Yachtsmen organizes reunions and an annual dinner and dance.

With its many royal family vacations and official tours, the yacht logged over one million miles, the equivalent of one trip around the world for each of its 44 years at sea.

The ship docked at over 600 ports in 135 countries .

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Britannia and beyond: a history of royal yachts

In the opening episode of The Crown ’s newest season, the drama portrays Queen Elizabeth II’s consternation as she slowly says goodbye to her beloved yacht, the Britannia . Rhiannon Davies considers the history of the royal vessel and the traditions of monarchs at sea…

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When guessing which royal home allowed the Queen to “truly relax”, the ivy-clad Balmoral or the handsome façade of Sandringham Palace might spring to mind. However, it was another – floating – residence that the Queen felt most comfortable in: her royal yacht, HMY Britannia .

This yacht features in the opening episode of the fifth season of The Crown . With the Britannia in need of a multi-million pound refurbishment, the Queen (played by Imelda Staunton) asks prime minister John Major (Johnny Lee Miller) if the government will bear the eye-watering costs. She puts forward a powerful plea, explaining: “From the design of the hull to the smallest piece of china, she is a floating, seagoing expression of me.”

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When was the first royal yacht?

The tradition of a royal yacht stretches back to 1660, when Charles II became England’s king. To mark his return to the throne, his Dutch allies gave him an extravagant gift: a yacht called the Mary .

As well as being built for speed, she was also designed with opulence in mind. “To give it the more lustre”, the ship’s exterior was “richly gilt” and “some of the best painters of the country” helped decorate its interior.

Read more about the history behind each episode of The Crown season 5:

• The Crown S5 E1: ‘Queen Victoria Syndrome’ and a second honeymoon
• The Crown S5 E2: Prince Philip’s ‘keeper of secrets’ and Andrew Norton’s book on Princess Diana
• The Crown S5 E3: exiled royals and the al-Fayeds
• The Crown S5 E4: the Queen’s “annus horribilis” and Princess Margaret’s relationship with Peter Townsend
• The Crown S5 E5 real history: ‘Camillagate’ tapes and a “war council” for the monarchy’s survival
• The Crown  S5 E6 real history: the Romanovs’ murder, and Philip’s “spiritual companionship”
• The Crown  S5 E7 real history: the introduction of Martin Bashir, and a royal education
• The Crown S5 E8 real history: Diana’s Panorama interview causes fireworks
• The Crown S5 E9 real history: the divorce settlement between Charles and Diana

Rather than relaxing on her decks, Charles used the Mary as a racing vessel before donating her to the Royal Navy. Her career ended abruptly in 1675, however, when she hit a rock in the treacherous Skerries – a cluster of islands near Northern Ireland, where many ships have been pulled below the waves.

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Although the ship met a tragic fate, she started a tradition among the monarchy – since the Mary , there have been 82 royal yachts. As well as providing space for monarchs to relax from the stresses of ruling, they also had a practical purpose – deployment on diplomatic missions. Their role was especially important before the arrival of aeroplanes, as monarchs or British delegates could only reach other nations by sea.

While these vessels became a time-honoured tradition, they also moved with the times. The Victoria and Albert – one of Queen Victoria ’s ships – was the first royal yacht in Britain to be fitted with a steam-propelled engine, meaning it could cruise along at 11.5 knots.

• Read more | Queen Victoria and Prince Albert: what was their relationship like?

When Queen Elizabeth’s father, George VI , came to the throne in 1936, a royal yacht that Queen Victoria had lobbied to build – also called the Victoria and Albert – was still in service. However, it was decommissioned three years later, with its bronze-and-black hull starting to crumble.

When was HMY Britannia commissioned?

In 1952 George laid plans for a new yacht to replace the Victoria and Albert . She was to be named HMY Britannia (although this name was kept secret until her launch), and could be transformed into a hospital ship if the country was again plunged into war: the laundry room could be converted into a ward, and the main veranda doubled as a helicopter landing pad.

Tragically, a mere two days after Scotland’s John Brown shipyard received the order, the king passed away . But the shipyard still pressed on with making his plans for HMY Britannia a reality. Now, though, the new monarch, Elizabeth, was at the helm. She and Prince Philip altered the original plans, which they feared were too opulent, considering Britain was still rebuilding itself after the horrors of the Second World War .

However, it still had some extravagant touches. The yacht had a bespoke garage, so Elizabeth’s Rolls-Royce Phantom V could be brought aboard. (Later, Elizabeth stopped bringing her Phantom, which needed to have its bumpers removed so it would fit into the tight space, and the garage was used to store beer instead.)

• Read more | Where is The Crown filmed? The Netflix drama’s locations and their royal links

Elizabeth and Philip both had their own bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces, which they designed to reflect their personal tastes – the Queen favoured florals, while Philip opted for dark timber. The couple also ensured a piece of maritime history made its way onboard: Philip had saved the teak binnacle (the housing for a compass) from one of Queen Victoria’s royal yachts, and it was incorporated into Britannia ’s design.

When did royal yacht Britannia launch?

Taking a little over a year to build, the ship was launched in April 1953 – shortly before the Queen’s coronation. With champagne still being seen as too luxurious for launching ships in the wake of the war, Elizabeth smashed a bottle of wine into Britannia ’s hull instead and proclaimed: “I wish success to her and all who sail in her”.

The Queen’s wish seems to have been granted. Over her 44 years of service, the Britannia made more than 700 journeys to countries in the Commonwealth and beyond, travelling around 1.1m miles. Many luminaries stepped aboard her deck, with political heavyweights from Winston Churchill and Boris Yeltsin to Nelson Mandela enjoying delicious banquets in the lavish State Dining Room.

Aside from diplomacy, the ship also became a royal honeymoon spot, with four newlywed couples choosing to take a romantic cruise on Britannia . Princess Margaret was the first to make use of the so-called ‘honeymoon suite’ when she and the Earl of Snowdon enjoyed a Caribbean cruise in 1960. Most famously, Prince Charles and Princess Diana sailed on the ship in 1981, when they toured the Mediterranean for their honeymoon – Charles brought a double bed onto the yacht during their trip, as all of the bedrooms had single beds.

It was also the site of many family summer holidays, with the Western Isles tour being a particular favourite. This was a relaxed jaunt around the western islands of Scotland, when the royals could enjoy barbeques and play games. Sometimes one of the ship’s staircases would even be turned into a waterslide, for the young royals to splash down.

• Read more | Royal historian Tracy Borman on the real events behind The Crown season 5

However, by the 1990s the ship was starting to deteriorate, and it was decided that “the costs were too great” to refurbish her. 1994 saw the announcement that the Britannia would be decommissioned; three years later, the Queen walked off her deck for the last time, shedding a tear at the yacht’s fate. Today the ship is a visitor attraction, docked in the port of Leith.

Although plans were discussed for another yacht to replace her, the world in 1997 was totally different to the one of 1952: air travel now reigned supreme, and Britain had lost its empire. The country was being steered in a different direction – one where a royal yacht no longer seemed necessary.

A former BBC History Magazine section editor, Rhiannon has long been fascinated by history and continues to write for HistoryExtra.com. She has appeared on the award-winning HistoryExtra podcast, interviewing experts on a variety of subjects, from Lucy Worsley discussing Agatha Christie to Sir Ranulph Fiennes on the perils of polar exploration

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King Charles III makes a poignant return to the Royal Yacht Britannia – his mother’s beloved home from home

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) with Princess Diana on the Royal Yacht Britannia at the start of their honeymoon cruise

King Charles III yesterday made a poignant return to the Royal Yacht Britannia. A ‘home from home’ for Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and their four children, the Royal Yacht Britannia held an important place in the lives of the Royal Family for more than four decades until it was decommissioned in 1997.

Some expected Prince Harry to be among the congregation when close friend Jack Mann wed in Sussex

Family holidays, honeymoon and precious private time – the Royal Yacht Britannia brought so much to the Windsors. ‘This was the place out of the public eye, they could relax and be themselves. On board Britannia that was their family time and it was our job to make their stay comfortable,’ one former crew member recalled yesterday.

Members of the Royal Yacht Britannia make a toast with King Charles III during a tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia

By Harriet Johnston

By Isaac Bickerstaff

Boarding the decommissioned yacht, King Charles no doubt would have been transported back through the decades to the countless voyages he shared with his siblings, cousins and parents – and later his wife and their young sons. During the visit – part of a busy schedule of engagements for Holyrood Week – King Charles sipped rum with sailors, met former crew members and attended a reception in the State Dining Room. ‘To all the marvellous Yotties who keep it all going, you are all brilliant,’ he said, toasting the crew.

Also known as Royal Week, Holyrood Week is an opportunity for the King and Queen to celebrate Scottish culture

By Ollie Macnaughton

The history of royal yachts dates back to the reign of Charles II who, when he became King of England, Scotland and Ireland on the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, was gifted a yacht called the Mary by his Dutch allies. There have been a total of 82 royal yachts since. As well as providing monarchs and their families a place in which to relax, they have also been deployed on diplomatic missions; a role that was particularly important before royals were able to jet off on planes.

Prince Charles and Princess Anne with their nanny on board the Royal yacht, Britannia at Portsmouth

Although it was Queen Elizabeth II and her family who enjoyed the use of the Britannia, the vessel had been commissioned by her father, King George VI , as a replacement for the ageing Victoria and Albert which was decommissioned in 1939 having been constructed during the reign of Queen Victoria.

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By Natasha Leake

George VI, who reigned over Britain during the Second World War, took a practical approach when planning the new vessel, lest the nation should once again find itself in the throes of conflict, and ensured it could easily be turned into a hospital ship if needed. Sadly, the King died before construction was completed and it was his daughter and son-in-law who had the final say on its design.

The Queen and Prince Philip waving on board Royal Yacht Britannia during an official visit to Kuwait

The state room on the Royal Yacht Britannia

The Britannia set sail on her maiden voyage from Portsmouth to the Grand Harbour in Malta on 14 April 1952, carrying Princess Anne and her brother Prince Charles , who reunited with the then Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the end of their Commonwealth tour. The late Queen first boarded the yacht at Tobruk in the country then known as the Kingdom of Libya in May 1954, and she famously became the first British monarch to visit Chicago in 1959 when the yacht docked in the city.

King George V’s grandson Prince Michael of Kent is married to the glamazon and author Princess Michael of Kent

It became integral to royal life. As a young boy, Prince Charles is said to have stolen pastries from the kitchen of the yacht, and was captured on film playing on the decks and swooping down a makeshift slide. Sir Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela were among those who dined in the opulent State Dining Room, while Prince Charles and Princess Diana honeymooned on board. It was also the location of fun-filled family holidays, with private home videos and photos shared from the royal archives over the years revealing how the late Queen relaxed on deck as the family whizzed down waterslides.

Season 5 of The Crown featured the Britannia towards the end of her seaworthy days. The series depicts Queen Elizabeth II (played by Imelda Staunton) tries to strong-arm Prime Minister Sir John Major (Johnny Lee Miller) into footing the bill for a sizeable refurbishment, telling him: ‘From the design of the hull to the smallest piece of china, she is a floating, seagoing expression of me.’ The Duke of Edinburgh (Jonathan Pryce) also does his best to compel Sir John to take action.

The Royal Yacht Britannia in Hong Kong

Ultimately, however, it was decided (as in real life) that the ‘costs were too great’ and, in 1994, it was announced the Britannia would be decommissioned. Three years later, the vessel that had given the late Queen so many happy memories embarked on its final voyage – a farewell tour around the UK. On the day of decommissioning, the enormity of the occasion was clear for the world to see, for Her late Majesty was photographed wiping away a tear during the ceremony; a rare public display of emotion for the stoic sovereign.

Typically stylish, Kate Middleton opted for an '80s-inspired green blazer and white midi skirt for her first outing to Wimbledon this year

Since her retirement, Britannia has been moored in the Port of Leith in Edinburgh and has served as a tourist attraction. It marks the final chapter in a fascinating story of the beloved floating royal residence.

The Queen wiping a tear from her eye at the de-commissioning ceremony for The Royal Yacht Britannia

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The Crown aboard the Royal Yacht

Updated October 2020

With the highly anticipated release of season four of Netflix Royal drama, The Crown, we are excitedly re-watching the first three seasons. Did you know that The Royal Yacht Britannia featured in season two?

Although no filming took place on board, we were thrilled to work closely with Art Director James Wakefield and his team of researchers over several weeks to ensure that the many scenes set on board were as accurate as possible. After documenting and photographing, the team then created their very own Royal Yacht, with an astonishing attention to detail. 

The Queen’s favourite room on board Britannia was the Sun Lounge where Her Majesty would take breakfast and afternoon tea whilst enjoying spectacular views through the large picture windows, which were reproduced with an exacting detail.

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The Royal Yacht Britannia : A History of Queen Elizabeth II’s Favorite Palace

By Lisa Liebman

The christening of The Royal Yacht Britannia serves as a cheeky season opener to  The Crown . Black-and-white Pathé News–style footage shows a soon-to-be-crowned Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) cheered on by shipbuilders as she launches her new 412-foot yacht. “I hope that this brand-new vessel, like your brand-new queen, will prove to be dependable and constant. Capable of weathering any storm,” she says about the royal replacement for the  Victoria and Albert III . By the series’ season finale, set 44 years later, both the sovereign and the floating palace she christened  Britannia will have hit rough seas—the cost of repairing the creaky old vessel and the modern role of the monarchy both in question. Ultimately, the yacht that undertook 968 official voyages all over the world, hosting dignitaries—including 13 US presidents—at receptions and banquets, was dry-docked near Edinburgh, Scotland, where it continues to be a popular tourist attraction. Here are some of the most buoyant facts about the palace the Queen famously said was “the one place where I can truly relax.”

The sun room on the Royal Yacht Britannia as photographed in 1981. 

In a nod to the country’s post-war austerity, Elizabeth scaled back the design of the ship that her father, King George VI, had commissioned just two days before he died. Rather than following the opulent plan laid out by the Scottish firm McInnes Gardner & Partners, she opted for the understated elegance envisioned by architect Sir Hugh Casson, who described “running a lawn mower over the Louis XVIl adornments” in favor of simple white walls, lilac-gray carpeting, and “a bit of gilding in grand places.” Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip, were said to have personally chosen the furniture—much of it, including linens, recycled from the  Victoria and Albert —fabrics (florals, chintz, toile), and paintings. 

Prince Charles and Princess Diana on board the Royal Yacht Britannia as they prepare to depart on their honeymoon cruise in 1981.

As a former Royal Navy Commander, Prince Phillip also saw to the ship’s technical details, and his Bluebottle racing yacht inspired the Britannia ’s navy-hued hull. Outer decks were made of two-inch Burmese teak. The steering wheel was reclaimed from Britannia ’s namesake, King Edward VII’s 1893 racing yacht; a wheelhouse wheel came from George V’s racing yacht; and a gold-and-white binnacle (housing the ship’s compass) was salvaged from King George III’s yacht and installed on the Veranda deck. Fittings from former royal ships were also reused. 

The drawing room on the Royal Yacht Britannia as photographed in 1978. 

The 4,000-ton yacht had a crew of 220 Royal Yachtsmen who lived on board, about 45 household staff, and occasionally a 26-member Royal Marine embarked to entertain dignitaries. The monarch often welcomed guests from the ship’s grand staircase. (Stairs leading from the Veranda to the Royal deck were sometimes transformed into a water slide for the kids.)  Britannia ’s apartments were designed like those of a first-class ocean liner. A 56-seat state dining room, where many of the gifts given to the monarch (a wood-carved shark from Pitcairn Island, a bejeweled gold statue from Bangkok) were displayed, was the scene of formal dinners with guests such as Sir Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Nelson Mandela, and Bill and Hillary Clinton. More intimate gatherings were held in the Queen’s official reception room, a smaller state drawing room with floral upholstered pieces, simple wood tables, an electric fireplace, and a Welmar baby grand piano bolted to the deck—played by everyone from Sir Noël Coward to Princesses Diana and Margaret. The teak-clad sun lounge, with rattan furniture and a toile loveseat, was Elizabeth’s favorite place—where she had her breakfast, afternoon tea, and also enjoyed her favorite Dubonnet and gin cocktails.

The Queen’s sitting room on the Royal Yacht Britannia as photographed in 1981. 

By Nora Taylor

By Elizabeth Fazzare

By Katherine McLaughlin

A ship elevator reserved for royal use moved between the Upper and Shelter Decks. The latter is where four Royal Apartments (bedrooms), including the Queen and Prince Phillip’s connecting compartments, were located. Hers featured florals, his had red accents. Elizabeth’s understated Upper Deck private sitting room, done in pastels and neutrals, served as the office where she conducted state business. Phillip used his sitting room, with its wood desk facing a model of his first command, the HMS Magpie , as his study. Below deck there was a wine cellar, as well as a cargo hold that could carry a barge, speed- and sailboats, plus a royal Range Rover and Rolls-Royce. The yacht could also be converted into a hospital (though it never was).

The Queen shed a tear at the decommissioning ceremony for thye Royal Yacht Britannia.

As depicted in  The Crown, Britannia ’s final official trip was to Hong Kong in 1997, where Prince Charles attended the handover of the territory to China. By then, Prime Minister Tony Blair’s administration was complaining that the £11 million a year needed to keep the boat afloat couldn’t be justified. With Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, and all of their children in attendance,  Britannia was decommissioned at a ceremony in Portsmouth, England on December 11, 1997, with the monarch seen wiping away a tear. The yacht, now docked in Leith, Scotland, is open to the public as a museum and events space. (Prior to their wedding, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips’s daughter Zara Phillips and her fiancé Mike Tindall had a celebration there.) Visitors will note that every clock on board reads 3:01, the exact time the Queen disembarked her beloved  Britannia for the final time on that December day.

By Thea Glassman

By Mak Ling Ling

By Cindy Tannoury

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Culture | TV

Behind the scenes of The Crown Season 5: ‘You’re eating out of Tupperware and everybody’s got tiaras on’

Season five of The Crown opens with an old newsreel of the Queen christening the royal yacht Britannia in the 1950s. The film is fuzzy; the clothes are period-perfect. It could be a video of the real Queen Elizabeth II - but in this version, Claire Foy is standing there instead and the whole thing has been scripted by Peter Morgan.

Welcome to the world of the Crown, where the line between fact and fiction is increasingly blurred and controversy reigns. Anticipation has been at fever-pitch for weeks as an entirely new cast take the helm of Netflix’s flagship show, which landed on the streamer yesterday.

As the royal family move into the troubled Nineties, Olivia Colman has been replaced by Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II; Tobias Menzies (Prince Philip ) by Jonathan Pryce and Josh O’Connor (Prince - now King - Charles) by Dominic West. Needless to say, the actors involved all felt an immense pressure to make their interpretations count.

One of those was Elizabeth Debicki, who was “definitely” nervous picking up the baton to play Princess Diana (from Emma Corrin) during the period of the irrevocable breakdown of her marriage with Charles.

“The show does feel like an enormous responsibility,” she says. “The people watching the show come with such attachment and memory and a sense of ownership too over these characters in a way, not only from the people who’ve played them before, but also from their living memory and their history.

“So you have to leave a space for that. It’s sort of a dance between all those things.”

While some people found it easy (for Lesley Manville, the main thing she had to master to play Princess Margaret was “how to hold a cigarette with a holder”), finding the balance between the personal and the professional also proved a learning curve for Jonny Lee Miller, who plays John Major for this – his only – season.

“I grew up in a very socialist household,” he says. “We thought we knew who John Major was.” However, Miller found himself warming to the man the more he learned about him.

“We had a lot of similarities. We’re from the same part of the world. He’s from Worcester Park; I’m from Kingston. We both went to state grammar schools and we had theatrical parents,” he says (Major’s parents were part of the last generation of music hall performers).

As a result, “my respect for him grew massively,” says Miller. “Really what anyone’s trying to do when you’re playing whoever you’re playing is … you’re trying to sort of fall in love with them. Right? So there’s always a fascinating journey.”

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West agrees: “I obviously love [Charles]. I've never heard it put so well as Jonny just did, but actually you do [fall in love with them], and inevitably you take their side, or you give them the benefit of the doubt. I hope that will maybe happen when people see Charles.”

The Crown is no stranger to controversy, of course, and one of the main talking points this season is also likely to be Prince Andrew’s storyline.

As well as his brother’s marriage, his own, to Sarah Ferguson, was also breaking up in the Nineties, but crucially, this was also before the first of several scandals that have dogged him in recent years were made public – something actor James Murray had to bear in mind while shooting.

“As tempting as it may be to have that colour, the building of the character… I just put all that to one side,” he says, adding that we was given a huge amount of research to aid with his understanding of Andrew.

“You have a lot of luxuries that you don’t often get as an actor, which means you really don’t have to worry too much about the preconceptions of what the press have said about your character.”

These luxuries include everything from the props team and vocal coaches, all the way to the hair, costume and make-up departments, for whom the cast are full of praise.

“The [crew have] done four series. So we’ve come in and they all know what they’re doing, and that’s rather nice,” Imelda Staunton says. “We’re sort of riding on their wave of success. I mean, I was doing a scene yesterday, and I cannot tell you: the detail that went into giving me breakfast was absolutely extraordinary.”

“It’s exceptional,” Claudia Harrison, who plays Princess Anne, tells me. “You’re often on location: we film in beautiful stately homes with beautiful art on the walls.

“We were all wandering around these stately homes and they’ve got the props for the next season and Diana’s skiwear is there, for the scene where she’s moving out of Highgrove. It’s actual skiwear from the late eighties, because of course the royal family wouldn’t have the latest stuff.”

Jonathan Pryce sums it up best: “I recently went to Windsor Castle for real, and I had a bit of a look round, and I think our fake Windsor Castle is better.”

It must be music to the ears of the set design team, who managed to create their most complicated sets yet for the fifth season despite the well-publicised theft of several lorries full of antiques during filming.

Among those was a reconstruction of the Queen’s beloved yacht Britannia, which in the show becomes an increasingly overwrought metaphor for a royal family rapidly losing its relevance in a modern world.

“It was built on three soundstages and the back lot and a real ship,” production designer Martin Childs says.

“We used a real ship for the lowest decks, but the rest of it was all built from the ground up. Because it spread over so many sound stages and the back lot, the trick was finding ways to link all of those things, so technically that was a great thing to do.”

The set designers also had to make do with a fair amount of belt-and-braces prop-making. “The weirdest one was the open heart surgery. We had to get a prosthetic beating heart in a chest cavity that pumped blood,” the series set decorator, Alison Harvey, says (part of season five will focus on the grand, but ultimately doomed, love story between Diana and the surgeon Hasnat Khan, whom she referred to as “Mr Wonderful”).

“There was a puppeteer underneath the heart, puppeteering it to make it pump and at the same time there were little syringes pumping the blood, so Diana’s big love looked like a super-surgeon.”

This being a show about the royals, the figure of the real-life Queen Elizabeth II also looms large. The elusive public figure at the heart of The Crown, her death during the filming of season six appears to have affected the cast and crew deeply.

“I’d really felt I’d lost a daughter,” Marcia Warren, who brings the Queen Mother to life, tells me.

“I was jolly distraught about it, being the staunchest royalist you could find on earth. It was just awful.... poor Imelda, she was in an awful state about it, because you just feel so close to them all.”

Despite the at-times serious subject matter – and the pressure that comes with playing some of the most recognisable people on the planet – many of the cast and crew wouldn’t swap the experience for anything.

“We’re actors and our sense of humours are often the big thing,” Harrison tells me. “We’re sitting around on set and we’re having our lunch, and our sandwiches, and we look up and we go, ‘Oh my god, we’re with the royal family.’”

Warren adds, “And you’re eating out of Tupperware and everybody’s got tiaras on, and plastic forks. [It’s a] magical job.”

Season five of The Crown is streaming now on Netflix

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Take a peek inside the luxury yachts starring in Netflix's The Crown

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By Steph Loseby   17 November 2022

Netflix’s royal drama, The Crown has been captivating audiences since 2016 by following the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the twentieth century. Taking readers behind the scenes, YachtCharterFleet identifies all the yachts that have featured on the show.

The hit series first premiered on the 4th of November 2016 and has since become one of the most talked about shows in the world, with the fifth instalment of the semi-fictional show currently airing on Netflix.

Each season follows a different moment in Royal history; from the marriage of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip all the way through the Queen’s reign spanning the 20th and 21st century. While fans of The Crown had hoped the series would run until the present day, creator Peter Morgan has confirmed that the up-coming sixth season of the show, taking the royal family into the early 2000s, will be the last in the series.

As viewers reach season five of the drama series, they witness the royals on various voyages onboard luxury superyachts. Viewers may begin to question which yachts are featured on The Crown ? How much do they cost? What do the yachts look like inside? 

We reveal all the details you need to know about the yachts used for filming in The Crown .

Royal Yacht Britannia – Seasons 2 & 5

In season 2 of The Crown, viewers witness the first sighting of the Royal Yacht Britannia when Prince Philip embarks on his solo world tour. This yacht is seen in the hit drama as a replica of the real steam-propelled vessel that spent 44 years in the service of the Royal Family.

Philip’s tour sees him take the Royal Yacht through Bermuda , Tonga , up the Amazon, across Antarctica and to the Melbourne Olympics. From there, Britannia sails back to Bermuda where the 1920s fishing port in New Harbour became the King’s Wharf dock, and the Arabella Hotel golf course acted as Bermuda’s Port Royal course.

For deck scenes on Britannia, the crew traveled to Cape Agulhas in South Africa where the team built a huge fake deck suspended over the sea, providing a suitable backdrop for ocean-going scenes. The sea behind was used for all filming and acted as the Caribbean and the Antarctic Ocean.

The Crown Season 5 begins with a young Queen Elizabeth II launching the Royal Yacht Britannia, a yacht that sailed more than one million nautical miles on 968 state visits around the world. This vessel also served as the platform for several royal honeymoons including Princess Diana and Prince Charles in August 1981.

Launched on 16 April 1953, the Royal Yacht Britannia is 125m (412ft) with a bean width of 16m (55 feet) and boasts 5 opulent deck spaces where guests can relax, rejuvenate and socialize. The Queen chose deep blue for Britannia’s hull, instead of the more traditional black and proudly displays her crest on her bow and stern, but, unlike other vessels, her name is not on the side of the ship.

Inside Yacht Britannia

Although no filming took place on board, the interiors of Royal Yacht Britannia actually featured in season two of the Netflix Royal Drama during the Queen’s tour. The Royal Yacht Britannia team worked closely with Art Director James Wakefield to ensure that every scene set onboard was as precise and accurate as possible. After documenting and photographing, the team then created their very own Royal Yacht, with outstanding attention to detail to bring the same interiors to life.

As you can see in the images above, the Queen’s bedroom, which can be witnessed multiple times on the show during her tour of Britannia, was carefully created with crucial details allowing viewers to really see everything as it once was onboard. An eye-catching detail within the room, dating back to 1953, is an embroidered silk panel above The Queen’s bed which was beautifully replicated for the show.

How much does it cost to rent Royal Yacht Britannia?

Today, Britannia sits permanently docked in Edinburgh where visitors can take tours of its grand galleys or even rent it out for events. The Royal Yacht Britannia can not be rented for charter vacations.

Yacht CHRISTINA O – Series 5

Also starring in the fifth installment of The Crown , the classic yacht CHRISTINA O was selected to represent the yacht ALEXANDER , on which the Royal couple Princess Diana and Charles celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary.

Filmed on the Balearic Island of Mallorca , viewers witness Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West in their portrayals of Princess Diana and Prince Charles respectively as they recreate their 1991 yacht vacation in Italy .

Inside superyacht CHRISTINA O

Launched in 1943, CHRISTINA O boasts an impressive history having once served in World War 2 as a convoy escort and was then bought for scrap value by the Greek Shipping tycoon, Aristotle Onassis, who spent a further $4 million refurbishing her as a luxury yacht, and went on to host luminary greats such as Paul Getty, Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor around the burgeoning French Riviera in the fifties and sixties.

Her interiors are striking and exquisite, from her stunning gilded spiral staircase to her exclusive piano lounge and bar, CHRISTINA O is home to an abundance of expansive social spaces that are ideal for elegant soirees or pre-dinner aperitifs.

Other highlights onboard include her Six Senses Spa and an exquisite mosaic-tiled pool that can be elevated at the touch of a button to become a dance floor.

How much does it cost to rent CHRISTINA O?

Showcasing decadent Old-World glamor and allure, CHRISTINA O is still one of the largest yachts in the fleet and is available to charter for $647,500 a week. 

This cost includes the incredible five-star service from her highly trained and professional crew of 38.

Superyacht TITANIA – Season 5

Season 5 of The Crown uses the 73m (239ft) superyacht TITANIA as a replica of the elegant Codecasa yacht JONIKAL (renamed BASH) . The yacht provides the perfect backdrop for the iconic scenes of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, the son of the yacht's former owner, when the couple took a vacation around the French Riviera in 1997, mere days before their tragic deaths in Paris on 31 August.

The Crown filmed onboard superyacht TITANIA on the Balearic island of Mallorca, around the port town of Andratx and recreated the famous shot of Diana alone with her thoughts at the end of the diving board taken in Portofino , Italy,

Inside Yacht TITANIA

Delivered in 2006 and refitted in 2020, she was designed by world-renowned naval architect Espen Øino and offers a timeless and sophisticated appeal, ideal for recreating the iconic scenes in The Crown .

Boasting impeccable interiors, the yacht's open plan layout lends her perfectly to entertaining and her opulent style adds a new level of luxury and excellence to her social areas. Putting the priority on indoor/outdoor living, superyacht TITANIA has everything a discerning traveler could desire on a private yacht charter .

Onboard highlights include an expansive beach club with an extendable swim platform, a beautiful winter garden and a full beam observation lounge. The motor yacht is versatile for a variety of charter party configurations with accommodation up to 12 guests in seven bespoke cabins.

How much does it cost to rent superyacht TITANIA?

It costs a total of €595,000 per week plus expenses to rent out the yacht TITANIA privately.

Interested in one of The Crown's superyachts for rental?

For more details on chartering any of the above yachts, speak to your preferred  charter broker . They can provide you with personalized information and advice concerning your vacation, creating an itinerary that perfectly caters to your individual needs.

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The Crown series five looks set to recreate the emotional retirement of the Royal Yacht Britannia as a replica of the iconic liner joins Buckingham Palace and Downing Street on the show's set in Elstree

• The top deck of the HMY Britannia was built at The Crown's backlot in Elstree, joining replicas of Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street
• The yacht transported members of the Royal Family to over 600 foreign trips and engagements during its 43 years in service
• It's thought the boat could be to replicate Britannia's retirement in 1997 attended by senior members of the Royal Family, where The Queen reportedly shed a tear 
• It came during a turbulent time for the Royals, who faced increased public scrutiny in the wake of Princess Diana's death
• The Royal Yacht was retired from service in 1997 is now permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh

By Laura Fox For Mailonline

Published: 04:06 EDT, 25 August 2021 | Updated: 12:36 EDT, 25 August 2021

View comments

The Crown's fifth series appears to be recreating the emotional retirement of the Royal Yacht Britannia, after a replica of the famous ship was built on the show's set in Elstree.

The famous top deck, which transported members of the Royal Family to over 600 foreign trips and engagements during its 43 years in service, has been rebuilt on a backlot at the north London set, and could be seen alongside remakes of the Buckingham Palace entrance, and the front door of 10 Downing Street.

Also known as HMY Britannia, the Royal Yacht was retired from service in 1997 with a moving ceremony attended by The Queen , Prince Philip and Prince Charles , and is now permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh.

Getting to work: The Crown series five appears to be recreating the emotional retirement of the Royal Yacht Britannia, after a replica of the famous liner was built on the show's set in Elstree

Ahead of filming the scenes, crew were seen building the top deck of the Britannia, with green screen panels attached to the edges to replicate the ocean.

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Surrounding the yacht were various cranes as work continued to build the series five set ahead of its planned release in 2022.

The set also included replicas of the famous arches that act as the entrance to Buckingham Palace, as well as the entrance to Downing Street. 

Transformed: The set also appeared to feature replicas of the Buckingham Palace entrance, as well as the famous front door for 10 Downing Street

Legendary: The famous top deck of the HMY Britannia (pictured in 1996) transported members of the Royal Family to over 600 foreign trips and engagements during its 43 years in service, before retiring in 1997

Preparations: Ahead of filming the scenes, crew were seen building the top deck of the Britannia, with green screen panels attached to the edges to replicate the ocean

Transformation: Surrounding the yacht were various cranes as work continued to build the series five set ahead of its planned release in 2022

Famous liner: HMY Britannia first set sail on her maiden voyage from Portsmouth to the Grand Harbour in Malta on 14 April 1952, and famously hosted the Royal Family during their annual Western Isles Tour in Scotland

HMY Britannia first set sail on her maiden voyage from Portsmouth to the Grand Harbour in Malta on 14 April 1952, carrying Princess Anne and her brother Prince Charles, so they could reunite with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the end of their Commonwealth tour. 

The Queen first boarded the yacht at Tobruk in the country then known as the Kingdom of Libya in May 1954, and she famously became the first British monarch to visit Chicago in 1959 when the yacht docked in the city.

When on its royal duties, HMY Britannia was escorted by a Royal Navy warship, it became a regular sight at Cowes Week in the Isle of Wight, and was also a home to the Royal Family during their annual Western Isles Tour in Scotland.  

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Moving: It's thought that The Crown bosses are recreating the yacht's retirement in 1997, where the Queen reportedly shed a tear, at a time when the Royal Family had faced much criticism for their reaction to the death of Princess Diana

Spitting image: The outdoor set 9left) also featured a replica of the Buckingham Palace entrance and gates (right), surrounded by green screens ahead of filming for series five

Throughout her royal career, Britannia conveyed the Royal Family and various dignitarites on 696 foreign visits, and steamed a total of  1,087,623 nautical miles.

In 1994 the Conservative Government, then led by Prime Minister John Major, announced that the yacht would be retired, with Viscount Cranborn saying in the House Of Lords: 'The yacht last underwent a major refit in 1987. A further refit at an estimated cost of some £17 million would be necessary in 1996–97 but would only prolong her life for a further five years. 

'In view of her age, even after the refit she would be difficult to maintain and expensive to run. It has therefore been decided to decommission Britannia in 1997. The Government will now consider the question of whether to replace Britannia.'

Replica: The backlot (left) also appeared to feature a replica of the famous front door to 10 Downing Street (right), as the show transitions to the 1990s when John Major was Prime Minister

Ahead of the 1997 General Election, the Labour opposition vowed that they would not replace the Britannia with the use of public funds, and after Tony Blair was appointed Prime Minister, it was agreed that the yacht would not be replaced.

Britannia's final foreign mission took place on 1 July 1997, to transport the last Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, and Prince Charles back from the island after its handover to the People's Republic of China.

The liner was then officially decommissioned on 11 December 1997 in a moving ceremony attended by most senior members of the Royal Family, and it's been reported that a Queen shed a tear during the occasion.

It came during a turbulent period for the family, having faced much public scrutiny over their reaction to the the death of Princess Diana four months earlier. 

In the works: Filming for The Crown's fifth season kicked off earlier this month, and it is expected to air sometime in 2022

Her Royal Highness: The very first image of Imelda Staunton in character as Queen Elizabeth II was revealed earlier this month

Congrats! Lesley Manville has been cast as Princess Margaret (right in 1966) for the fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown

New role: The Two Popes actor Jonathan Pryce, 73, has said he is 'confident' to take on the 'daunting' role of Prince Philip in The Crown's final two seasons

The Crown's fifth series will see Imelda Staunton take over the role of the Queen from Olivia Colman, while Lesley Manville is set to play her sister Princess Margaret, replacing Helena Bonham Carter.

Jonathan Pryce, 73, will take over the role of Prince Philip for the seasons showing the Royals navigating the 1990s and early 2000s. 

Elizabeth Debicki will take over the coveted role of Princess Diana from Emma Corrin, while Dominic West will play Prince Charles.

James Murray will take on the role of Prince Andrew, replacing Tom Byrne, who played the Queen's second son in series four. 

Casting: It was announced that Elizabeth Debicki had been cast as Princess Diana last August, and fans of the Netflix show were delighted to hear that the Australian actress would be taking on the role 

Leading man: Dominic West will take on the role of Prince Charles (right in 1996), at a time when his marriage to Diana came to a turbulent end. A first look at the actor in character was released earlier this month (left)

The Crown series 5: James Murray is set to take on the role of Prince Andrew following his TV appearances in Cutting It and Primeval (James pictured in 2018)

The final two series of The Crown will cover the Royal Family's history throughout the 1990s and into 2003, however it is not yet known which moments will be seen.

There are several poignant moments which could be used, including the Queen making a speech on her 40th anniversary of her accession in 1992, in which she called the year an 'annus horriblis'.

She was referring to the breakdown of three of her children's marriages; Prince Andrew, Princess Anne's and Prince Charles' divorce from Princess Diana. 

Who's who? The actress playing Princess Anne in The Crown's fifth season has been revealed as The IT Crowd and Humans star Claudia Harrison

Key historical moments involving the Royal Family between 1999 and 2003

1999: The marriage of the Queen's son Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex: The wedding took place at St George's Chapel in Windsor. 

2000: The Queen celebrates the Millennium:  Millennium celebrations take place throughout the UK. The Millennium Dome in London is officially opened by HM The Queen on January 1.     

2001:  Queen Elizabeth reacts to 9/11 terrorist attacks: A week after the tragedy she sent a message to the British ambassador to Washington, Sir Christopher Meyer to offer her condolences. 

She wrote: 'Each and every one of us has been shocked and numbed by what we have witnessed in these recent days. 

'At your service today, we think especially of the British victims. These are dark and harrowing times for families and friends of those who are missing or who suffered in the attack - many of you here today. 

'My thoughts and my prayers are with you all now and in the difficult days ahead'. 

On September 13 The Queen ordered the Changing of the Guard ceremony to be paused for a two minute silence, followed by the playing of the American national anthem. 

2002 : The Queen's Golden Jubilee:  The Queen celebrated the milestone on February 6 and it was an international event to mark the 50th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. 

On June 4, an estimated one million people headed to central London to line The Mall on the last day of the official celebrations.

Queen guitarist Brian May played 'God Save The Queen' from the roof of Buckingham Palace in her honour. 

2002: The Queen dines at 10 Downing Street with the five living former Prime Ministers who served under her. She met with Tony Blair, John Major, Margaret Thatcher, James Callaghan and Edward Heath.

2002 : The death of Princess Margaret: The Queen's younger sister dies after suffering a stroke aged 71. The pair had had a troubled relationship after The Queen said she couldn't marry her love Peter Townsend. 

2002: The Queen Mother dies: She passed away aged 101 at Royal Lodge Windsor. 

Share or comment on this article: The Crown series five: Replica of the iconic Royal Yacht Britannia is built at Elstree

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The Crown Season 5 Filming Locations: In Detail

Article by jane, november 11th, 2022.

The Crown Season 5 filming locations include Ardverikie, Lancaster House, the Royal Yacht Britannia, Chatham Historic Dockyard, Wellington College, Cobham Hall School, Winchester College, Burghley House, Brompton Cemetery, Greenwich ORNC, Lincoln’s Inn and the London Coliseum. Further scenes were filmed on the Netflix show’s extensive sets around Elstree Studios.

As the Netflix drama moves into the 1990s, it revisits some of the established locations for the royal palaces, and adds new settings. We’re also in for a change of cast, led by Imelda Staunton as the Queen, with Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.

Marcia Warren steps in the Queen Mother, while Timothy Dalton plays Peter Townsend for a brief reunion. Dominic West takes over as Prince Charles, with Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles.

New figures for The Crown Season 5 include Mohamed Al-Fayed (Salim Daw) and his son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla), Penny Knatchbull (Natascha McElhone) and John Major (Jonny Lee Miller). Flashbacks also give us glimpses of earlier cast members and filming locations.

Where Was The Crown Season 5 Filmed?

The Crown Season 5 was filmed in Chatham, Greenwich, the Moray Firth, Ardverikie, Knebworth, Wellington College, Brompton Cemetery, Somerley House, Eastbourne Pier, Winchester College, Wrotham Park, Lancaster House, Lincoln’s Inn, and more stunning locations.

However, with the show growing bigger each season, the number of sets at Elstree has also grown. The Britannia, royal residences and Downing Street are among the custom-built backdrops.

The Crown Series 5 Filming Locations

John brown and company shipyard.

We see the ship in two eras. After Claire Foy’s Elizabeth has launched the ship, we see Imelda Staunton’s Queen at Chatham Historic Dockyard as she boards the Britannia to sail to Balmoral.

And here’s where to watch the real Britannia launch! It’s right here on the BBC Scotland News Facebook page .

Royal Yacht Britannia

The Crown Season 5 Britannia scenes were filmed on the real Royal Yacht and a replica built at Elstree Studios . The recreated top deck of the Royal Yacht’s appears in the dinner scene at the start of Episode 5. Other parts of the ship were duplicated elsewhere at the Netflix show’s Elstree base.

In an interview with Elle Décor , production designer Martin Childs confirmed the filming locations for the Britannia in Season 5 of The Crown. And it’s confirmed that the lower decks were used. We think these are the engine room scenes, which show off the machinery visible from above on the tour.

You can visit the real Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith, to the north of Edinburgh. Visitors can see the real engine rooms, Prince Philip’s art supplies, family lounges and bedrooms on the now-decommissioned Britannia. There’s also a permanent Royal Deck Tea Room , if you want to dine like the royal family in the scenes from The Crown Season 5.

Balmoral Castle

Interior shots for the Balmoral scenes have been filmed at Knebworth throughout the Netflix show’s run. Knebworth House confirmed that it’s a filming location for The Crown Season 5, sharing the news online the day before its release .

Knebworth’s dramatic architecture makes it a popular filming location, and The Crown’s substitute for Balmoral’s Scottish Baronial style. You can visit this location easily – check for opening days and special events! https://www.knebworthhouse.com/

The exterior belongs to Ardverikie in Newtonmore - also known as Glenbogle from Monarch of the Glen. And the surrounding land appears in the show as well.

Balmoral Estate

Balmoral scenes for The Crown Season 5 were filmed around Kinloch Laggan and Lossiemouth. Kinloch Laggan is where Ardverikie is situated, and this is a real Highland location. Like the real Balmoral Estate, it’s in the Cairngorms National Park . This year, other locations add to the landscape for loch scenes.

The Crown’s loch scenes were filmed around the Moray Firth near Lossiemouth and the Covesea Lighthouse. The Strathspey and Badenoch Herald caught Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville in costume for the scenes.

In the Season 1 Episode 1 loch scenes, Princess Margaret and the Queen spend time together in a boat on the loch.

Range Rover Scenes

Prince Philip’s driving scenes were filmed in Hertfortshire. Back in October 2021, Jonathan Pryce was spotted filming the Range Rover driving scenes - part of Prince Philip’s life outside the palace. In Season 5, we see the Duke of Edinburgh following his love of driving and of carriage racing.

Lowther Horse Show

According to the Stamford Mercury , the Lowther Horse Show scenes were filmed at Burghley’s grounds.

As the series goes on Prince Philip and Penny Knatchbull's friendship attracts controversy – until Prince Philip asks the Queen to give her approval. While the Netflix series raises questions about the relationship, there’s no doubt that Prince Philip was devoted to carriage racing.

The Duke of Edinburgh competed in the sport, notably the Royal Windsor Horse Show, until the early 2000s. As described in the episode, he sought it out as an alternative to polo .

Kensington Palace

Wellington College has been used as Kensington Palace in The Crown from Season 3 onwards. It appears again in Episode 4, “Annus Horribilis”, and other scenes involving Princess Diana. The Princess of Wales famously lived in one of the palace’s apartments after her split from Prince Charles.

London Streets

Lincoln’s Inn Fields appear in The Crown’s London street scenes as Princess Diana agrees to be interviewed for Andrew Morton’s book. The gateway is visible, along with the surrounding terraces.

Buckingham Palace

Wrotham Park has been used as the Queen’s audience room since The Crown Season 1. Over the years, The Crown has filmed Buckingham Palace scenes at Wilton House, Goldsmiths Hall and Greenwich Old Royal Naval College.

The palace’s portico scenes used to be filmed in Greenwich, but have been switched for a replica in Elstree Studios. Other palace interiors are filmed on custom sets at Elstree too.

The Ritz Paris

The Crown’s Ritz hotel filming location is Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. The Rothschild mansion appears in Season 5 Episode 3 “Mou Mou”. Look out for the dining room’s mantelpiece and mirrors. This room is seen in the meeting to buy the Ritz, and later when Mohamed Al-Fayed speaks with Sydney Johnson, personal valet to the Duke of Windsor.

Of course, the real Ritz Paris has taken on a different role in the story of the Royal Family, Princess Diana, and the Al-Fayeds. But in Season 5 Episode 3, we’re focusing on the Al-Fayed patriarch’s story and love of prestigious settings.

Bois du Boulogne/Villa Windsor

The Crown’s Bois du Boulogne locations are Halton House and West Wycombe Park. Halton House appeared as the former Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson’s French retreat in the Netflix show’s earlier seasons. It makes a return in Season 5 Episode 3. Look out for the exterior as the former king trains his valet.

Halton recently appeared in Enola Holmes 2 as the Lyon family home – one of many screen moments. It was built for the Rothschilds, who still own the nearby Waddesdon Manor, and as a result they share some architectural links.

West Wycombe Park is another original Bois du Boulogne filming location from The Crown Season 1 that appears in Season 5 Episode 3. Look out for it in the interior shots as Mohamed Al-Fayed and Sydney Johnson inspect Wallis Simpson’s house after her death. Halton House’s entrance and West Wycombe Park’s as the Queen’s representative removes Edward VIII’s abdication desk and letters.

As shown in the Netflix series, Sydney Johnson worked at the house in its heyday and during its renovation. The real valet to the former Edward VIII said, of the Villa Windsor’s restoration:

“I feel on top of the world… the restoration is so authentic I expect to see the duchess stepping down the staircase asking, ‘How do I look?’” Sydney Johnson, Valet to the Duke of Windsor and Mohamed Al-Fayed

If you want to see the real Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s décor, Architectural Digest has captured it in amazing detail . Everything from the clocks to the North Persian carpets is recorded.

Look out for Harrods in the shots of Mohamed Al-Fayed looking over his newest purchase. This looks very much like the real Harrods department store in Kensington, complete with its illuminations.

The real Harrods is a fixture of Knightsbridge to this day. But the prestigious shopping destination’s relationship with the Royal Family has changed over the years.

In 2000, Prince Philip withdrew his royal warrant. The store had held royal warrants since the 1950s. But after the Duke of Edinburgh declined to renew, Mohamed Al-Fayed spoke out to say he wouldn’t seek to renew the Queen or Prince of Wales’ warrants. Harrods then-owner elaborated:

“We are proud of the Harrods reputation as the world’s finest store and we naturally welcome discerning shoppers from all over the world… The royal family, with the exception of Prince Philip, are welcome to shop at Harrods at any time.” Mohamed Al-Fayed

Sydney Johnson’s Grave

The Crown cemetery location for Sydney Johnson’s grave is Brompton Cemetery in London. In The Crown, we see Mohamed Al-Fayed paying his respects over the gravestone. The engraving reads Sydney Johnson, Valet to the King.

Brompton Cemetery opened in 1840, and is still a working cemetery to this day. But it’s also a Grade I-listed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens and a precious green space. You can find guides to the well-known figures who are buried there, and popular walking routes, on the Royal Parks website.

Moscow Streets

The Netflix show’s Moscow scenes were filmed in Bradford. In The Crown Season 5, the Queen’s car is seen driving through the streets of the Russian capital, actually Bradford’s Forster Square area.

The Telegraph and Argus caught filming in progress , with Russian signage appearing on Holdsworth Street, Canal Road and Valley Road.

Windsor Castle

Look out for Burghley Castle as The Crown’s Windsor Castle location in Season 5. The famous Windsor Castle fire scenes were filmed at Burghley, and smoke billowing over its roof . A replica of one of its rooms was also used as a fire-damaged Windsor in scenes of the Queen and Prince Philip surveying the damage.

Burghley also provides St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle after the repairs. It appears in the scenes of Prince William and the Queen having tea at Windsor during his time at Eton. Look out for it again when the Queen and Director General of the BBC have a tough conversation after Martin Bashir’s interview is screened.

You can visit this Crown location – check the opening dates for the house, grounds and restaurant.

Guildhall Jubilee Lunch

Look out for the exterior of the ORNC buildings at the opening of the episode, as the Queen exits the car. She is seen walking into the Painted Hall, climbing the steps to its distinctive black and white floor.

The artwork has a royal theme of its own. Among the scenes depicted around the Painted Hall, you’ll find the accessions of William and Mary, and George I. And you can indeed find the paintings for yourself, because it’s open to the public – check the website for current admission details .

The Queen really did make her famed “annus horribilis” comment during the Guildhall Jubilee Lunch . In reality, the Ruby Jubilee banquet on 24th November 1992 took place just days after the fire at Windsor Castle.

The real Guildhall , with its 600-year-old Great Hall, is the home of the Corporation of the City of London, who hosted the event. While it didn’t appear in this episode of The Crown, it is a popular filming location in its own right.

The Eton town and school locations in The Crown are Winchester College in Hampshire and the Cobham Hall School in Kent. Prince William’s car passes the entrance to the Winchester College in Season 5 Episode 7, “No Woman’s Land”, before the press call.

Winchester was founded in 1382, pipping Eton to the post by about 60 years. Princes William and Harry’s former school was founded in 1440, on the banks of the Thames. As seen in The Crown when the Queen considers inviting William for tea, Eton sits just on the edge of Windsor.

Eton College

Kent’s Cobham Hall School appears in glimpses of Eton’s courtyard and interior shots. Look out for the Gravesend school in the press call and William’s lesson on Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot.

It was confirmed as a filming location by Visit Kent , along with other local spots appearing in the likes of Enola Holmes 2 . While Eton is an all-boys school and Winchester has only recently become co-educational, Cobham Hall is an all-girls day and boarding school.

It was founded by socialite Bhicoo Batlivala , who had attended another prestigious school, Cheltenham Ladies’ College. But the building itself boasts its own royal connections. Cobham Hall has been home to the Barons of Cobham, Earls of Lennox and Earls of Darnley. Over the centuries, the residents have hosted royalty of their era, from Elizabeth I to the Duke of Windsor.

Broadcasting House

It looks like a real glimpse of Langham Place in Season 5 Episode 8, “Gunpowder”, with CGI assistance bringing the BBC’s Broadcasting House back to the 1990s. Built in 1932 , the Broadcasting House building was later updated with the glass-lined piazza space that occasionally appears in BBC features.

Eastbourne Pier

The Crown Season 5 Episode 8 features shots of Eastbourne’s pier and seafront . Look out for several angles in quick succession at the start of the sequence before the Bashir footage is reviewed.

Eastbourne’s shingle beach is another location seen in the episode, as the race to halt or allow the broadcast begins.

The Queens Hotel

Royal Variety Performance

The Royal Variety Performance scene was filmed at the London Coliseum on St Martin’s Lane in London . The London Coliseum’s exterior is seen as the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrive for the Royal Variety Performance on their wedding anniversary. The real auditorium appears as well, with shots from various angles throughout the second half of the episode.

As a side note, while the London Coliseum has hosted the event, it wasn’t the venue that year. On 19th November 1995, the day before Princess Diana’s interview with Martin Bashir aired, the Royal Variety Performance was held at the London Dominion.

The Queen and Prince Philip would have watched acts including Cirque du Soleil, Allan Stewart, Des O’Connor, Riverdance and Elaine Paige. Thanks to the Royal Variety Charity’s archive, you can check out the line-up right here .

Prince Charles’ Hong Kong scenes were filmed in London’s West End . The area already has a strong connection to China and Hong Kong, through local expat communities and Chinatown’s restaurants and importers.

Journals and essays written by King Charles III were shared with the press after he took the final trip in the Royal Yacht Britannia. In the texts , he wrote about his thoughts on the journey itself and the Hong Kong handover.

The Theatre

While the Princess of Wales’ fashion choices influenced the costumes shown in The Crown, they don’t appear at the same events. As Yahoo Life UK point out, the blue dress Diana is seen wearing to Swan Lake harks back to a Jaques Azagury dress she wore to an event at the Serpentine Gallery in 1995.

The Crown’s Highgrove location is the Somerley Estate in Dorset. Somerley appeared in Season 4 as Highgrove, and is also set to reappear in Season 6. Filming took place in October 2022 , before Season 5 had arrived on Netflix.

While Somerley isn’t open to the public, you can stay at this Crown location. There are holiday lets on the estate – or you can host a wedding or special event at the house. https://somerley.com/ That said, you can visit the real Highgrove gardens . In fact, King Charles III’s private residence in Gloucestershire has hosted garden tours for 25 years.

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The Crown Season 5: Small Details You May Have Missed

The Crown Season 5 unfolds with riveting tales that delve deep into the annals of the royal family ’s history, shedding light on some of the most scandalous events that have captivated the world. As the widely acclaimed series continues its exploration of the British monarchy, viewers are invited to witness a dramatic portrayal of the intricacies, controversies, and behind-the-scenes revelations that have shaped the course of regal history. Join us as we investigate the details of the most scandalous episodes , providing insights into the impeccable storytelling that continues to make The Crown a compelling and iconic portrayal of royal life.

A brief recap of the events from the preceding Season 4 for a quick reminder.

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