Editor’s Note
This article previews a unique auction of props from Netflix’s “The Crown,” connecting the series’ dramatization to the landmark televised coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Costumes, jewelry, and furniture from the award-winning Netflix series “The Crown” are going under the hammer at Bonhams in London.
When Elizabeth II received the royal scepter at Westminster Abbey in 1953, it was not only the first coronation to be televised. It was the first live broadcast of a major event to a mass audience of millions. The whole world watched as the young queen placed the St Edward’s Crown on her head. It was the beginning of her 50-year reign as Queen of England.
commented Charlie Thomas, Sales Director at Bonhams in England. The auction is a unique opportunity to acquire objects from the prestigious series. The proceeds from the live sale will benefit the “Left Bank Pictures – The Crown Scholarship” program at the National Film and Television School (NFTS). Many of its graduates have contributed to the production of the series over the years. The scholarship aims to support students at NFTS in their training over the next 20 years.
Highlights of the auction include the replica of the Queen’s coronation gown, including the imperial mantle and stole (estimated price £20,000). The throne on which Claire Foy, who plays the young Elizabeth, sits during the coronation ceremony is also up for auction. The replica of the famous Saint Edward’s Chair is expected to fetch at least £10,000. The world’s only reproduction of the golden State Coach is estimated at £30,000.
Queen Elizabeth was known for her love of Corgis; over 50 of the royal dogs were born during her reign. Two royal Corgi porcelain figurines, including a framed photo of a Corgi, can be acquired for £200. A ball gown embroidered with black and gray sequins, worn by Lia Williams in the role of Wallis Simpson, is estimated to bring at least £1,500. She showcased it during a photoshoot with her husband Edward VIII, played by Alex Jennings. The relationship with the American Simpson was the formal reason for Edward’s abdication, who was King of England for only one year before his brother King George VI took over. Various costumes of Princess Margaret, Elizabeth’s sister, are also being called up. The elegant wedding dress worn by Vanessa Kirby in the role of the princess is valued at £6,000.
A green Jaguar XJ-SC, which Lady Diana Spencer, portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki, drives on English country roads in the series, is among the top lots of the auction (estimated price £15,000). Diana drove her stylish convertible from 1987 to 1991. A replica of her engagement ring is also up for auction for a good cause (estimated price £2,000). Also included is the famous “revenge dress” that Diana wore to the Serpentine Gallery summer party in 1994 after her husband Prince Charles’s affair with Camilla Parker Bowles became public. The black off-the-shoulder dress made of tight-fitting silk did not fail to make an impact and caused major headlines. A replica of the much-photographed leopard-print swimsuit that Diana wore in Saint-Tropez in 1997 shortly before her death is valued at £800.
