Audiences the world over have been captivated not only by The Crown’s costumes, hairstyles and elaborate sets but also the remarkable real-life filming locations to which the production team has gained access. Six seasons in, the Netflix masses show no sign of tiring at the sight of the impressive palaces, grand castles and stately homes that can be found across the UK.

The latest series of The Crown continues to trace the life of the late Her Majesty The Queen from her wedding in 1947 to the present day. Season six covers 1997 to 2005, primarily focusing on Princess Diana, perfectly portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki, as she begins her high-profile relationship with Harrods heir Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla). We also see King Charles (Dominic West continues from last season) marry Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams), while the family battle to protect Princes William (Rufus Kampa in part one and Ed McVey in part two) and Harry’s (Fflyn Edwards and Luther Ford) privacy while they enjoy university – and all the raucous parties that come with it. Leading the family as steadfast as ever, Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II oversees the Royal Family’s rockiest period in history with the stoic Sir Jonathan Pryce, who plays the late Duke of Edinburgh, by her side. 

The final season, written by award-winning Peter Morgan, is split into two parts: the penultimate instalment dropped on Netflix on 16 November before the finale on 14 December. While historians have critiqued the accuracy of the plot (and reports suggest the Royal Family is less than thrilled with it), there’s no denying the authenticity of the new backdrops that feature in this series, including the University of St Andrew’s, Mallorca, Lancaster House, and even Canary Wharf. Here are the most impressive The Crown filming locations in season six that you can visit now. 

Buckingham Palace

Filmed at: Wilton House, Salisbury, and Lancaster House, St James’s

Does this need any introduction? Hashtagged nearly 1.3 million times on Instagram, Buckingham Palace is recognised worldwide as the British monarch’s official residence – which it has been since 1837 – and it even features in the book spawned from the cult @accidentallywesanderson Instagram account thanks to its photogenic qualities and aesthetic appeal.

No single location could possibly replicate this unique building, so for interiors, the production team turned to St James’ Grade-I listed Lancaster House and Wilton House in Wiltshire. The latter is particularly proud of its period-perfect appearance – it has featured in everything from Emma and The Young Victoria to Antiques Roadshow and Blackadder. First opened in 1544, it has been the country home of the Earls of Pembroke for more than 400 years. It was rebuilt in the Palladian style in 1647 by Inigo Jones and John Webb and its gilded interiors are considered among the most lavish in England, with Rococo mural paintings, furniture by William Kent and portraits by Rembrandt and Van Dyck.

Balmoral Castle

Filmed at: Ardverikie House, Scottish Highlands

Balmoral Castle, in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, has been a royal residence since 1852 and is owned by King Charles, who inherited it from his mother The Queen upon her death in 2022. Its exteriors were captured at the splendidly Victorian Ardverikie House in Kinloch Laggan in the Scottish Highlands, although eagle-eyed viewers may have already spied the house has been used in previous seasons of the show. 

Kensington Palace

Filmed at: Wellington College, Crowthorne, and Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire

Kensington Palace, the birthplace of Queen Victoria and designed by Sir Christopher Wren, plays a key part in series six: it’s the home where Princess Diana continued to live after her divorce from King Charles and, like Buckingham Palace, there wasn’t one single location that could do it justice. Adequate to stand in for at least part of Kensington Palace’s grandeur was Brocket Hall. No stranger to the limelight, it’s appeared in as many TV shows and films as some of The Crown’s stars; The Queen, the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Eastenders. The 18th-century stately home was previously the stomping ground of many historical figures, including King George IV, Queen Victoria and Prime Ministers Lords Melbourne and Palmerston. Set in 543 rolling acres of Hertfordshire countryside, it is a popular wedding venue with impressive Grade-II listed gardens. 

Elsewhere, Berkshire boarding school Wellington College features heavily in season six, providing the famous backdrop for Diana’s controversial BBC Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. 

Highgrove

Somerley House

Dominic West as Prince Charles and Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles in season six of The Crown. Image: Netflix

Filmed at: Somerley House, Hampshire

Of all The Crown filming locations, if the Luxury London team could pick a Royal residence in which to really live, rather than reside, feeling anxious about damaging a centuries-old antique or disrupting ghosts of Christmas past, Highgrove in Gloucestershire would be our pick. It’s Their Majesties The King Charles III and The Queen Consort's private residence, and has been the king’s home for more than 30 years. When it came to a location for Highgrove scenes, the location team needed to find a striking house with creeping ivy and beautiful gardens. Enter Somerley, a magical, quintessentially English country estate that, yes, you can hire for private parties and events. 

University of St Andrews, Scotland

Kate Bellamy as Kate Middleton and Ed McVey as Prince William in season six of The Crown. Image: Netflix

University of St Andrews. Image: Shutterstock/Jiri Vondrous

Filmed at: University of St Andrews

One of the best universities in the UK also happens to be the backdrop for the blossoming romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton, now the Prince and Princess of Wales respectively. The grounds of the University of St Andrews have a starring role in the final episodes of season six, when the future king meets Kate (portrayed by Meg Bellamy) and the pair go on to live together at 13A Hope Street (The Crown filmed at the university halls’ flat 9B, according to student paper The Saint).  As a result of its world-famous pupil, St Andrews has endured its fair amount of global scrutiny and we bet there will be even more curiosity about the famous establishment now…

Chicago, Illinois

Filmed at: Canary Wharf

Season six goes stateside during a scene in which President Clinton is driven through Chicago city in an official motorcade. However, eagle-eyed Londoners may have already spotted that the Windy City in The Crown looks an awful lot like Canary Wharf – and they’re not wrong. The commuter crowd in the Docklands were no doubt surprised to see hot dog stalls, Chicago buses and American police cars dotted around Canada Square and beyond earlier this year when filming took place. 

Hôtel Ritz, Paris

Image: Matt Penbarthy

Image: Dartmouth House

Filmed at: Dartmouth House, Mayfair

Diana and Dodi Fayed dined at Paris’ Hôtel Ritz the night of their fateful car accident in 1997, and The Crown team were not granted access to the five-star establishment to sensitively replicate this scene with Elizabeth Debicki and Khalid Abdalla. Instead, the Victorian interiors of Mayfair events space, Dartmouth House, made for the perfect substitute. 

St George’s Chapel, Windsor

Filmed at: York Minster

King Charles and Camilla tied the knot in April 2005, and it is one of the last momentous occasions documented in season six of The Crown. The setting at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel was replicated for the series at York Minster Cathedral, one of the largest of its kind in Europe. 

St Tropez, France

Filmed at: Mallorca, Spain

The early episodes of season six focus on Diana and Dodi Fayed holidaying in glitzy St Tropez aboard his father’s 140-foot yacht, Jonikal. Despite the holiday being an attempt to escape the relentless paparazzi that haunted them in the UK, the couple were unsurprisingly documented by the tabloids throughout the summer of 1997, focusing on Diana’s swimsuits and the couple's fleeting kisses. However, Netflix’s film crew swapped France for the Mediterranean island of Mallorca when it came to shooting season six, which no doubt provided the perfect backdrop for that infamous long-lens paparazzi shot of the princess perched on the edge of a diving board in a blue swimsuit. 

Windsor Castle

Belvoir Castle

Image: Will Pryce

Filmed at: Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire 

Built by William the Conqueror, Windsor Castle – the late Queen’s weekend home and a suitably regal option for holding engagements – enjoys the accolade of being the oldest working castle in the world. That also probably made it pretty hard when it came to finding places with a weathered-enough feel for Windsor Castle scenes. Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, home to the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, has appeared in all seasons of The Crown so far, both inside and out, and with good reason: lavish Louis XIV-style interiors and dramatic gothic stonework create the perfect Regency setting for the Windsors.

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