THE Crown will continue to reign supreme for Scotland long after the final series’ recent release – according to the manager of one of the show’s most important locations.
On Saturday, Netflix streamed the last instalments of the royal drama which has gripped audiences worldwide.
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It will provide a final outing for Ardverikie House, which has doubled for Balmoral since The Crown was launched in 2016 and has featured every actress who has played Her Majesty from Claire Foy to Olivia Colman and the current “Queen” Imelda Staunton.
But Phil Lloyd, the estate manager of the 44,000-acre Highland Shooting Lodge, predicts Ardverikie and dozens of other Scottish sets will continue to benefit from the legacy the show leaves behind.
He says: “The Crown cast and crew were great to work with and we hosted them for all six seasons. It’s been a fabulous experience for us but also for the wider area as well.
“The money filming brought to the estate has enabled us to make lots of improvements towards improving access, the habitat and maintaining the upkeep of the House as well. It provided a huge boost locally too because they were back here as quickly as they could after Covid to film again.
“That was hugely important for hotels, garages, car hire, you name it.
“But it’s two-fold because the exposure brings in tourism that the whole of Scotland benefits from and not just us.”
Along with Ardverikie House, St Andrews also features prominently in the final season as it charts the blossoming romance between Wills (Ed McVey) and Kate (Meg Bellamy) who met while studying in the town in 2001.
Other locations that have featured in previous seasons include the Dunbeath Estate in Caithness. In the same region Keiss Harbour stood in as Mullaghmore in Ireland and Ackergill Tower as Classiebawn Castle, the home of Lord Mountbatten.
And Phil believes The Crown’s top quality filming really shows what Scotland has to offer.
He says: “The Crown has put so many different Scottish locations on the screens over the last six seasons.
“When you see the scale and the quality of the production for The Crown, you really could not see Scotland in a better light. It is incredibly well-filmed and they did as much external filming here as they did internally.
“It beautifully shows the House and the wilderness we’re so proud to look after here.”
Phil has met all the “Queens” on set along with the rest of the cast over the past seven years. But the two who stick out the most are Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki who played the younger and older Princess Diana.
He says: “To meet them in person was an extremely striking experience because their likeness to Diana, not just on the screen, but in person, was quite extraordinary.”
DRAW IN CROWDS
Ardverikie — which employs 13 staff — also provided a backdrop to the 1997 film Mrs Brown starring Sir Billy Connolly and Dame Judi Dench, along with Daniel Craig’s James Bond in the 2021 blockbuster No Time To Die.
The BBC’s sleepy Sunday night drama Monarch Of The Glen — featuring Alastair Mackenzie as the Laird Archie MacDonald — also filmed in the estate for five years from 2000.
And Phil believes The Crown will continue to draw in crowds the way that Monarch continues to bring fans to the area over 20 years on.
He says: “Monarch of the Glen is still relevant to a lot of people nearly 20 years after it was filmed. We still get visitors because of it and I believe that The Crown falls into the same category.
“The Crown exposes us not just to a domestic audience but, an international audience.
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“It’s great to get these international visitors coming back but it’s also great to see all the Scottish locations enjoy the benefits of international tourism as well.
“The Crown is going to be watched for a very, very long time. I believe we will see the benefits of it for years after the cameras have gone.”
