PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: The Crown’s Imelda Staunton is seen on set as The Queen as Netflix reveal they will only suspend production for ONE DAY before ‘covering Princess Diana’s tragic death’ while nation mourns Her Majesty
- Imelda Staunton was seen leaving the set of The Crown on Thursday, just hours before news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death at the age of 96
- The actress, 66, who is playing Her Majesty in the Netflix series, was seen in character as she prepared to leave the set on Thursday
- Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret, and new star Rufus Kampa, starring as Prince William, were also seen on set
- Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, died at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced at 6.30pm on Thursday
Imelda Staunton was pictured dressed as the Queen while leaving the set of The Crown just hours before the news of Her Majesty’s death was announced on Thursday evening.
The images come as it was revealed filming on the Royal drama has been suspended for just one day as a ‘mark of respect to the late monarch’, who passed away aged 96 on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle.
In a move that could be branded insensitive by fans, when the cast and crew return they will be covering Princess Diana’s death in 1997 and the Queen could be seen in mourning clothes.
The potentially controversial scenes will be filmed while the nation comes to grips with the loss of their late Queen during a 10 day mourning period which will end with a state funeral.
The actress, who is playing an older version of Her Majesty in the Netflix series following predecessors Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, was seen in character as she prepared to leave the set.
Filming: Imelda Staunton was pictured dressed as the Queen while leaving the set of The Crown just hours before the news of Her Majesty’s death was announced on Thursday evening
Imelda sported a green and navy blue checkered co-ord set, featuring a midi skirt and a jacket, as she headed to her vehicle on set.
Imelda was seen sheltering under an umbrella and wearing a black coat as she spoke to members of the cast and crew.
Rows of cars were seen lining up outside the cast members’ trailers as they piled into their vehicles and departed the set, hours before the news of the Queen’s death.
Loss: Queen Elizabeth II (pictured in 1999), Britain’s longest reigning monarch, died at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced at 6.30pm on Thursday
Leaving: The actress, 66, who is playing Her Majesty in the Netflix series, was seen in character as she prepared to leave set on Thursday afternoon before the sad news
Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret, and new star Rufus Kampa, starring as Prince William, were also seen on set on Thursday afternoon.
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch who was on the throne for 70 years, died at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced at 6.30pm on Thursday.
Tragic: The potentially controversial scenes will be filmed while the nation comes to grips with the loss of their late Queen during a 10 day mourning period which will end with a state funeral
Following the sad news, filming for The Crown has been halted a sign of respect, a spokesperson for The Crown confirmed.
A scene covering Princess Diana’s tragic death in Paris in August 1997 was scheduled to be filmed on Thursday in Barcelona, Spain, but has been postponed.
SER Catalunya reported scenes that would cover Princess Diana’s death in August 1997 were being suspended.
The set, which had been built in a district of Barcelona, had been modified to resemble a Parisian street with French road signs.
The decision not to film on Thursday comes as the Netflix show announced it will also suspend filming on the day of Her Majesty’s funeral.
A spokesperson for The Crown said: ‘As a mark of respect, filming on The Crown was suspended today. Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral.’
The final two series of The Crown will cover the Royal Family’s history throughout the 1990s and into 2003, it is not yet known which moments will be seen.
Imelda recently took over the role from Olivia Coleman, who played the Queen throughout the second and third series, while Claire Foy originally starred as the monarch.
In character: Imelda was seen in character as The Queen as she headed towards her car
Rainy day: Imelda was seen sheltering under an umbrella and wearing a black coat as she spoke to members of the cast and crew
Sheltering: Imelda was seen wrapped up in an umbrella and raincoat as she prepared to leave set on Thursday
Farewell: Imelda was seen waving goodbye to cast and crew as she finished filming scenes
Co-star: Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret, was also seen on set on Thursday afternoon
Storyline: The final two series of The Crown will cover the Royal Family’s history throughout the 1990s and into 2003, it is not yet known which moments will be seen
Role: Lesley has taken over the role of Princess Margeret from Helena Bonham Carter, while Vanessa Kirby also played the role
Jonathan Pryce is playing Prince Philip, who is also new to the series, and picks up the role from Tobias Menzies.
The sad news of the Queen’s death was announced by Buckingham Palace at 6.30pm on Thursday.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.’
New face: Taking on the main role, Imelda Staunton will replace Olivia Colman as The Queen, while she was also previously played by Claire Foy
Newbie: New star Rufus Kampa, starring as Prince William, was also seen on set on Thursday afternoon, before news of The Queen’s death
Story: Rufus, 16, will play the Prince at a different stage in his life, depicting his teenage years showing how he and the royal family coped with the death of Princess Diana
The Queen’s death will see Britain and her Commonwealth realms enter into a 10-day period of mourning as millions of her subjects in the UK and abroad come to terms with her passing.
Her coffin will be moved to London on the royal train via Edinburgh before she lies in state in Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament for four days. Hundreds of thousands of people will be able to pay their respects.
The state funeral is expected take place at Westminster Abbey in central London on Monday, September 19, which will be attended by her bereft family as well as 2,000 heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and key figures from public life around the globe.
Statement: King Charles III released a poignant statement reacting to the death of his ‘beloved mother’ as he took the throne on Thursday
And as her son accedes to the throne, there will also be a celebration of her historic 70-year reign that saw her reach her Platinum Jubilee this year – a landmark unlikely to be reached again by a British monarch.
Charles, who will reign as King Charles III, said: ‘The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.
‘We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.
‘During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held.’
Tribute: The Queen’s death was confirmed at 6.30pm on Thursday, with a Buckingham Palace spokesman saying: ‘The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon’ (pictured in June)
The Crown halts filming of Princess Diana death scenes in Barcelona as a mark of respect to the Queen – and will also suspend production on the day of Her Majesty’s funeral
Gerard Couzens and Jessica Taylor for MailOnline
Filming for award-winning Netflix series The Crown has been suspended following the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
A scene covering Princess Diana’s tragic death in Paris in August 1997 was scheduled to be filmed on Thursday in Barcelona, Spain.
However, filming on the sixth series of the show has been halted for at least a week following the death of the Queen at the age of 96 on Thursday.
Filming for scenes portraying the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in 1997 in series six of The Crow has been suspended, with reports suggesting production will not resume for another week (pictured: a street in Barcelona designed to resemble Paris)
The monarch passed away peacefully at Balmoral after Buckingham Palace announced she was ‘under medical supervision’ when doctors said they had become concerned for her health.
As series five of the drama is due to air this autumn, filming for the sixth series is well underway with Elizabeth Debicki playing the late Princess of Wales and Imelda Staunton taking the role of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
However, SER Catalunya reported scenes that would cover Princess Diana’s death in August 1997 were being suspended.
The set, which had been built in a district of Barcelona, had been modified to resemble a Parisian street with French road signs.
A reporter for the outlet tweeted a video and photos of the set which looks completely empty.
The decision not to film today comes as the Netflix show announced it will also suspend filming on the day of Her Majesty’s funeral.
A Netflix spokesperson said: ‘As a mark of respect, filming on The Crown was suspended today. Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral.’
Filming was due to start in Majorca next week and run to late October following casting for extras for the forthcoming series – but plans changed after news of the Queen’s death broke.
Netflix had reportedly devised a plan, also named Operation London Bridge like the official funeral plan for the Queen, to outline what the production company for The Crown would do in the event of her passing.
The fifth and sixth series of The Crown will see Elizabeth Debicki play the late Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in August 1997 with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed
One of the show’s creators Stephen Daldry said when the show first premiered in 2016 the cast would likely stop production, saying: “It would be a simple tribute and a mark of respect. She’s a global figure and it’s what we should do.”
Peter Morgan, writer of the drama, was quoted after news of the Queen’s death was confirmed late yesterday/on Thursday as saying: “The Crown is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect. I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.”
Locations in Palma and Andratx are said to have been considered for the sixth series, which will cover the romance of Charles and Camilla and William’s university studies.
Part of season five of the popular series was shot on the Balearic island last year, with Sant Elm beach on the west coast and the Port of Soller among the locations where filming took place.
Imelda Staunton will be taking on the role of the late Queen Elizabeth II in series five and six of The Crown, following on from Olivia Colman
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