Filming for the final scenes of The Crown got underway in Rochester today as Netflix recreated King Charles and Queen Camilla’s civil ceremony.
After months of callously depicting the death of the late Princess Diana, it was revealed this week that Netflix bosses have decided to end the forthcoming series of The Crown on a high by featuring the wedding of the King and Queen.
The royal couple married in a civil ceremony on April 9, 2005 at Windsor Guildhall which was followed by a blessing at St. George’s Chapel.
This afternoon, actress Olivia Williams, 54 – who plays Queen Camilla in the hit show – was pictured filming scenes opposite Dominic West, 53.
The star was pictured wearing an exact replica of the outfit the Queen for her civil ceremony 18 years ago.
Actress Olivia Williams, 54, pictured on the set of the final season of The Crown. The show are filming Charles and Camilla’s civil ceremony in Rochester today
Along with a crisp white midi dress, the actress was spotted wearing a long-line cream coat with a silver brooch.
To finish off Camilla’s bridal ensemble, the costume designers also copied the Queen’s oversized white hat – which featured ivory faux flowers.
Meanwhile, Dominic West was dressed in a morning suit – featuring grey pinstripe trousers and silver waistcoat – which was based on the one King Charles wore for his 2005 nuptials.
As they filmed their final scenes for the hit series, Olivia was seen looking pensive in the couple’s wedding car.
In contrast, Dominic was seen beaming at the extras lining the high street who were waving Union Jack flags at the couple.
After Dominic stepped out the Rolls Royce first, he then proceeded to help Olivia out of the car and the actors were seen with their arms intertwined.
Breaking character in between takes, Olivia was photographed giving a cast member a thumbs up as she got back into the car.
What’s more, Dominic West appeared in great spirits this afternoon as he admired some of the shopfronts on the local high street.
The actress looked pensive in the royal couple’s wedding car as Dominic West beamed at extras waving Union Jack flags
Dominic West – dressed in a replica of the suit King Charles wore for his 2005 wedding – was all smiles between takes
The actor was pictured waving at extras playing royal fans as he emerged from the Rolls Royce today
The actor was seen waiting for Olivia to emerge from the car so they could proceed to the civil ceremony together
The actor (pictured on set today), 53, was cast as King Charles in the final two seasons of the hit series
Dominic took Olivia’s hand as she stepped out of the car for the one of the final scenes of the hit show
The actors – who play King Charles and Queen Camilla in the hit Netflix series – were also pictured with their arms intertwined
Olivia Williams briefly broke character to give one of the cast members a thumbs up as she got back into the car
Pictured: extras posing as royal fans in Rochester, Kent today as Netflix filmed some of the final scenes of The Crown
Extras were pictured waving Union Jack flags as Dominic and Olivia drove down the high street in Rochester
King Charles and Queen Camilla married in a civil ceremony on April 9, 2005 at Windsor Guildhall which was followed by a blessing at St. George’s Chapel
King Charles and Queen Camilla pictured on their wedding day in April 2005. The couple had a civil ceremony in Windsor
The historic Kentish city had its shop fronts changed to look like Windsor, with royal plates and cakes congratulating the happy couple on show.
Taking a break from filming, Dominic was seen admiring some of the shopfronts which have been transformed for the recreation of the Royal Wedding.
The actor was dressed in a morning suit – featuring grey pinstripe trousers and silver waistcoat – which was based on the one King Charles wore for his 2005 nuptials.
The father-of-five appeared to take a particular interest in a local bakery – which displayed a selection of cakes and biscuits featuring illustrations of his face.
The yellow shop front also had some biscuits which had been iced with the words: ‘Charles+Camilla’ along with their wedding date 9 April 2005.
Dominic West, 53, took a break from filming the final scenes of The Crown to admire some of the shopfronts in Rochester today
The actor – who plays King Charles in the final two seasons – took a particular interest in a bakery
What’s more, the bakery had a cake featuring the Union Jack colours which was topped with portraits of Dominic and Olivia Williams, who has been cast as Queen Camilla.
Fans are eagerly awaiting the release of The Crown’s final series later this year, with the show already courting controversy as it plans to depict the tragic death of Princess Diana.
Yesterday, Dominic West looked dashing as he joined his fellow actors on set in York to film the wedding.
Ed McVey, who plays the Prince of Wales in the drama, looked smart in a baby blue waist coat and red tie, which was near identical to the outfit worn by William to Charles’ nuptials in 2005.
One of the shops had a number of plates featuring the faces of Dominic West and Olivia Williams, who play Charles and Camilla in the series
Dominic West pictured on the set of final season of The Crown. The actor, 53, took a particular interest in the shopfront of this Rochester bakery
The Crown is filming it’s final ever scenes in Rochester today as Netflix recreates Charles and Camilla’s wedding celebrations
The historic Kentish city had its shop fronts changed to look like Windsor, with royal plates and cakes congratulating the happy couple on show
One shop front had been transformed into a ‘Cakes of Windsor’ bakery, with cakes on show in the window
Meanwhile another actor playing Prince Harry, whose name is yet to be revealed, looked somber as he walked across the set.
They were joined by actors portraying Camilla’s children Laura Lopes and Tom Parker-Bowles.
Meanwhile the bride herself, who is portrayed by Olivia Williams, was nowhere to be seen in the snaps.
It is understood Charles and Camilla’s nuptials will be portrayed in a positive way, with some working on the show hoping it will mean the public will be left with a ‘warm and happy’ feeling rather than outraged over how Princess Diana’s death, at the age of 36, was depicted.
A source close to Netflix told the Mail yesterday: ‘For some months it has felt like the show has been goading the public by ghoulishly telling the story of Diana’s death in a heartless way, therefore causing upset to Princes William and Harry needlessly.
Members of the public were walking along through the transformed town centre, while security watched on
A number of police officers appeared to have gathered in the town centre as Netflix filmed the scenes
One of the shops had a number of plates featuring the faces of Dominic West and Olivia Williams, who play Charles and Camilla in the series
The bakery appeared to have a number of different treats on offer, including biscuits with the actors’ faces on, as well as a three-tiered cake
A number of the cakes were decorated in red, white and blue icing, while they also featured photographs of Charles and Camilla
Meanwhile there were also biscuits in the shape of a crown, as well as a Union Flag bake (pictured)
The biscuits also featured photographs of Dominic’s Charles and Olivia’s Camilla emblazoned on the front
‘So the decision to end it so nicely, Netflix hope, will change the perception that they want to be callous, they hope it will remove the bad taste from viewers’ mouths.
‘Charles and Camilla’s wedding will be a true celebration and a really happy moment in the history of the monarchy. It also fits nicely into the King’s Coronation year.
‘But there are some staff working on the programme who see this all as a cynical move to protect Netflix from leaving its audience really upset at retelling Diana’s tragic death.’
Imelda Staunton will reprise her role as Queen Elizabeth II, with Jonathan Pryce playing her husband Prince Philip.
Elizabeth Debicki will once again appear as Princess Diana in the build-up to her death, while Dominic West plays Prince Charles.
Dominic West looked dashing yesterday as he joined other cast members of The Crown to film Charles and Camilla’s wedding day at York Minster
Ed McVey, who plays Prince William in the sixth series of the drama, was joined on set by Luther Ford portraying Prince Harry (left and right)
Meanwhile another pair of actors were seen portraying Camilla’s children Laura Lopes (left) and Tom Parker-Bowles (right)
After months of callously depicting the death of the late Princess Diana , it was revealed this week that Netflix bosses have decided to end the forthcoming series of The Crown on a high by featuring the wedding of the King and Queen
Actor Luther is set to portray the Duke of Sussex in the sixth and final season of the Netflix drama
Prince William actor Ed, who has been seen filming in St Andrews alongside Meg Bellamy, who plays Kate Middleton, appeared relaxed on set this week
With his blonde hair and smart black suit, the actor appeared the double for Prince William in 2005
White screens were erected in York to shield the actors from the view of the general public (pictured)
Meanwhile the actress portraying Camilla’s daughter Laura wrapped up in a puffer coat as she walked across the set
An actor playing Tom Parker-Bowles appeared to wear an identical outfit to the one Camilla’s son wore for the royal wedding in 2005
The actor, whose name has yet to be revealed, appeared in good spirits as he filmed the scenes in York yesterday
Claudia Harrison, who has portrayed Princess Anne in the drama since season five, was also spotted on the set
The actress could be seen wrapped up in a puffer jacket and clutched an Order of Service to her chest
Theo Fraser Steele, who plays Princess Anne’s husband Timothy Laurence, joined the actors on set this morning
And here’s Prince Andrew! James Murray, who is set to portray the Duke of York in the sixth series of the drama, walked across the set alongside Claudia
Series five of The Crown was subject to plenty of criticism due to the touchy topic of Charles and his marriage to Diana, following its release on Netflix in November.
Many argued that filming scenes leading up to Princess Diana’s death in Paris were insensitive – as well as the series going ahead with its launch not long after the Queen’s death in September last year.
Focusing heavily on the fallout between Princess Diana, played by Debicki and King Charles (then Prince of Wales) as portrayed by West, the new series showcased a number of low points for the royals.
Among them were Charles and Diana’s marriage breakdown, the late royal’s controversial Panorama interview and the notorious ‘tampongate’ phone call between the King and Queen Consort, then Camilla.
Acting royalty Dame Judi Dench, who is close to King Charles and Camilla, has accused the programme of being ‘crude and hurtful’.
Dame Judi, 87, who has played Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, told The Times the series risked damaging the monarchy. The Oscar-winning actress blamed it for ‘crude sensationalism’ and blurring fact and fiction.
Cherie Blair, who is portrayed by actress Lydia Leonard in The Crown season 5 and 6, was also seen on set
Bertie Carvel, who is set to play Tony Blair in the drama, wrapped up in a green puffer coat as he arrived
There were over 450 extras on the set of The Crown in York as they began filming the final scenes of the hit show
Many actors were seen arriving in smart wedding attire at York Minster ahead of the day of filming
Actors dressed up to the nines joined the main cast of the drama on set in York this morning (left and right)
A crowd of excited fans of the drama gathered outside York Minster as they tried to catch a glimpse of the actors
Extras flooded the church in order to make the scene strikingly similar to the couple’s 2005 nuptials
Many extras opted to wrap up with shawls and jackets as they arrived to film the scenes at the Minster
One photograph taken inside the church revealed how extras were sitting watching the ceremony
Former Prime Minister Sir John Major criticised a scene in a previous season which shows him having a conversation with then Prince Charles about the possibility of the Queen abdicating as ‘malicious nonsense’.
However, The Crown star Gillian Anderson, who played Margaret Thatcher in series four, hit back at the comments – and argues that the series could have been far more damaging.
Speaking to The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden, Gillian said: ‘There’s a lot of researchers involved, and a lot of people checking and double-checking and triple-checking.
‘There’s a lot that has not been written about that could be written about. And if you knew the difference in those, you’d see there is a great deal of kindness and restraint.’
She added: ‘At the end of the day, there are incredibly compassionate and well-rounded takes on human beings.
‘And what you’re left with is properly, maturely drawn, complex characters. And there’s a lot that’s in there that one has to say, ‘If you didn’t do it, we wouldn’t be writing about it’.’
The streaming giant has come under scrutiny for remaking the Paris car crash that killed Diana, and the funeral that took place afterwards.
But following the controversy, which has upset members of the Royal Family, writer Peter Morgan will depict the wedding as the season finale – which will be the last series.
Sources at Netflix say they hope it will put an end to the criticism that the streaming service has contempt for the Queen and the Royal FamilyThe series, which is filming its sixth and final, will also pay tribute to the Queen, with several ‘flashbacks’ to when she was a child and teenager.
There will also be storylines which will see her dreaming of the past and future.
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