Actors portraying Tony and Cherie Blair were dressed up in character today at Winchester Cathedral as series six of The Crown continues filming.
The actors were in costume as the former prime minister and his wife after the Labour Party won a landslide victory in the 1997 general election – just months before Princess Diana’s death when he is thought to have coined the nickname ‘The People’s Princess’.
As the final series of the Netflix drama is set to cover the late 1990s, including Diana’s death, and the early 2000s, it will span the years Mr Blair was in Number 10.
The action on set at the Cathedral follows a day of filming yesterday which saw Dominic West recreating scenes from the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002, while Ginger Spice also made a cameo in her famed Union Jack dress.
An actor playing Tony Blair in The Crown has been spotted walking near Winchester Cathedral as series six of The Crown is being filmed. The filming has closed the Cathedral to visitors for two days as the final series of the show covers the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Mr Blair was prime minister
The Blairs were present at both the Queen Mother’s funeral and Princess Diana’s funeral in September 1997, both of which were held at Westminster Abbey.
Shortly after Diana’s death, Mr Blair said he was ‘devastated’ to hear the news and called her ‘The People’s Princess’ in the first known use of the nickname.
An actress playing Cherie Blair bears an uncanny resemblance to the former resident of 10 Downing Street on set
Tony and Cherie Blair pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey for the funeral of Princess Diana in September 1997, just a few months after Mr Blair took office following a Labour landslide in the general election
He told reporters: ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with Princess Diana’s famly, particularly her two sons. Our heart goes out to them.’
‘We are today a nation in a state of shock, in mourning, in grief that is so deeply painful for us.
‘She was a wonderful and a warm human being, although her own life was often sadly touched by tragedy.
‘She touched the lives of so many others in Britain and throughout the world with joy and with comfort. How many times shall we remember her in how many different ways – with the sick, the dying, with children, with the needy?
The actor playing Tony Blair wore a puffer jacket over his navy blue suit and red tie on a chilly day at Winchester Cathedral
A young actor playing Prince Harry was spotted in the back of a car as he was on set while filming the Queen Mother’s funeral
Other actors on the set were wrapped up in blankets to protect themselves from the cold weather as they filmed outside
It’s chilly outside! The actors looked freezing cold in blankets, scarves and gloves as the second day of filming at Winchester Cathedral got underway
The actor playing Prince William appeared in a morning suit alongside other actors dressed in black, suggesting more funeral scenes were in production
Another day of filming: Men wear morning suits as the second day of filming takes place at Winchester Cathedral
Boys and young men dressed as pages arrive on set at Winchester Cathedral as another day of filming is underway
‘With just a look or a gesture that spoke so much more than words, she would reveal to all of us the depth of her compassion and her humanity.’
It is unclear which scenes were being filmed this afternoon, although many of the men on set were spotted in morning suits, suggesting there are more funeral scenes to be produced today.
However, the actor playing Mr Blair was wearing a navy blue suit and a red tie, suggesting other scenes were in production as well.
For the second day in a row, Winchester Cathedral is closed to visitors while filming is underway for series six of The Crown.
Yesterday Dominic West, who plays King Charles, was spotted in a morning suit, along with two young actors believed to be playing Prince William and Prince Harry, as they filmed scenes for the Queen Mother’s funeral.
A shot of the inside of the Cathedral, which will be Westminster Abbey in the show, revealed a coffin on a catafalque which is believed to be the Queen Mother’s in the show.
An actress playing Geri Halliwell was also spotted on set wearing Ginger Spice’s iconic Union Jack outfit as she strolled along in the chilly weather.
It is thought she will be involved in recreating scenes from a 1997 Prince’s Trust Charity Gala, where The Spice Girls performed and involved the King in their performance, breaking royal protocol.
During their show, they pulled King Charles on stage and called him ‘sexy’ while Geri Halliwell patted his bottom and she and Mel B kissed him on the cheek.
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