The Crown pulled into our lives in a horse-drawn, gilded carriage in 2016, and we’ve not been able to stop talking about it since.

What is The Crown about?

The Crown follows the life and times of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, starting with her marriage to the late Prince Philip in 1947. Each episode shows snippets of royal life and all the pomp that comes with it, galloping onwards from the 1940s to the present day.

What people love so much about The Crown is its ceremony and pageantry, a show in which casting directors, location scouts, and set and costume designers have really been allowed to shine. All the resplendent nature of its regal sets and wardrobe are wonderfully studied, so much so that you can Google what Diana was wearing on that day, and it’ll likely not be far off. In fact, the first season was the most expensive drama produced by Netflix and Left Bank Pictures to date, reported to have costed somewhere in the region of £100 million.

The show has been met with some contention for its over-dramatised portrayal of certain aspects of the monarchy’s tenure. That said it has provided a grounding for many who haven’t studied the intricacies of one of the western world’s most famous families.

Where is The Crown filmed?

The Crown follows the British monarchy around the world on their seemingly never-ending royal tours, but most fans are interested in the estates that appear on the Queen’s home turf. So, without access to Buckingham Palace, Balmoral or Windsor Castle, where did the creators turn?

A lot of the Buckingham Palace scenes are shot in Lancaster House, which is just around the corner. Built in 1825, the impressive estate features a lot of the same gold-fringed rooms and hallways, making it a good double for the Queen’s official residence.

As for Balmoral, Scotland’s beautiful Ardverikie Castle stands in. Originally part of a 145,000-acre holding, the estate has enjoyed the same family ownership for 150 years, and is the perfect backdrop for wax jacket-clad royalty.

Burghley House in Lincolnshire and Belvoir Castle near Leicester are used as Windsor Castle, which crops up a lot in The Crown. You can visit Burghley House as of March 2021, which has also featured in the likes of Pride And Prejudice.

Who is in the cast of The Crown?

The Crown’s frankly incredible cast chages every two seasons as it jumps forward in time. In the first two seasons, the key cast comprised Claire Foy (Princess Elizabeth/Queen Elizabeth II), Matt Smith (Prince Philip), Jared Harris (King George VI), Vanessa Kirby (Princess Margaret), John Lithgow (Winston Churchill).

In the third season, we’ve jumped to the 1960s. We’ve now got Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth II), Tobias Menzies (Prince Philip), Helena Bonham Carter (Princess Margaret), Erin Doherty (Princess Anne), Josh O’Connor (Prince Charles) and Jason Watkins (Harold Wilson). In the fourth season, Gillian Anderson (Margaret Thatcher), Emerald Fennell (Camilla Parker Bowles) and Emma Corrin (Princess Diana) joined.

The fifth season (yet to air) will be set in the 1990s, and there’s a new cast again, comprising Imelda Staunton (Queen Elizabeth), Jonathan Price (Prince Philip), Lesley Manville (Princess Margaret), Elizabeth Debicki (Princess Diana) and Dominic West (Prince Charles).

How many seasons of The Crown have there been?

Currently there are four seasons of The Crown, with the fifth said to be on its way in 2022. As with all the other seasons, the fifth season will debut on Netflix, but it’s currently unclear if all the episodes will be immediately available or released week by week.

Where to watch The Crown?

You can watch seasons 1-4 of The Crown on Netflix right now. Just head to Apps & Games > Netflix.

How to watch Netflix with Virgin TV

If you have a TiVo^® box or Virgin TV V6 box, powered by TiVo^®:

Press home on your remote

Select Apps & Games

Select All Apps 

Select Netflix

If you’re already a Netflix subscriber, you can also access the app through Search & Discover or by pressing Red on channel 204. Just sign in with your existing login and start watching. And you’ll only have to log in the first time you use it. 

If you’re new to Netflix, then you’ll need to subscribe to use the app. The easiest way to do this is by going to netflix.com/virginmedia. You can also subscribe using the Netflix app in Apps & Games.Check it out today, by heading to Apps & Games > Netflix.

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