Wandering through Bonhams’ sale of The Crown’s costumes and accessories is like entering a surreal world where Madame Tussauds and Buckingham Palace have somehow merged and the lines between the real and the royal have become strangely blurred.
Could this really be a life-size replica of the incredibly ornate Gold State Coach I see before me? Has someone really gone to the painstaking effort of recreating Sir William Chambers’s rococo 1760 design for a few flashy moments on television? They appeared to have “artistic license,” according to the auction house’s listing.
From the sumptuous… to the numerous cocktail trays complete with Tanqueray gin bottles, silver-plated ice tongs and retro soda siphons (yours for an estimated £60-80), World War II. A range of novelties including Imelda Staunton as Elizabeth, down to nodding figures (£80-120) and a £2,000-3,000 replica of the famous sapphire and diamond Garrard engagement ring Charles gave Diana in 1981. Even the gates of Buckingham Palace will go to the highest bidder.
If there’s an uneasy feeling at times that this feels like the sell-out of the British monarchy, that’s because it’s clearly not for the real monarchy – as we always have to remind ourselves on The Crown. . No, we’ll never get to see the inside of Diana’s real makeup bag, brush our hair with Princess Margaret’s silver brushes, or admire the model ships in Prince Philip’s real study, but we can literally do that with items created for the Netflix show. During its six seasons, which ended in December.
“I’m so proud of it, it’s true museum quality,” says Meg Randell, Bonhams’ director of designer handbags and fashion. He had the “most fun experience ever” visiting the massive warehouses at Elstree Studios, which have now been split into two auctions (one live, one online) into more than 450 lots in total. The live auction of the top 150 lots will take place at noon on February 7, while the online auction is live now, with the 300 items ending on February 8. All lots will be on display at Bonhams’ New Bond Street saleroom until 4pm on Monday. .
And the exhibition is a sight to behold, with each character’s belongings arranged in a way that makes you feel like you’re visiting their bedrooms or dressing rooms. Indeed, for a certain type of person, Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton’s World War II. £5,000-£8,000 for the French king tree and gilt metal bed she sleeps in while playing Elizabeth would be money well spent.
The sheer variety of items on sale means Bonhams is expecting an eclectic mix of buyers. “The majority of people will be bidding at the last minute, so we don’t know exactly who they are, but it’s been very interesting to see where the interest is coming from so far,” says Randell. “There are a lot of people in the UK; There is a lot of interest from America, France, Spain and Asia. It seems to have captured the imagination globally.
“At the top end, there will be real collectors who will buy because they are royalty or screen collectors. “Some may be buying it because of the actors wearing the costumes,” he continues. “We have some really affordable pieces, like haute couture suits, with estimates around £300-400, so I’m hoping some of them can be bought by people who want to wear them. Imagine someone saying ‘I love what you’re wearing’ and you saying ‘Thank you, it was made for Queen Olivia Colman.’ Imagine being able to say “
I feel like my credit card is stinging when I see some of the costume items available. There are real stunners, such as the replica of the revenge dress worn by Elizabeth Debicki as Diana in season five (est. £8,000-12,000). This is the closest we’ve come to owning the iconic cocktail dress, given that the original is still believed to belong to Princes William and Harry. Reimaginings of Elizabeth II’s magnificent Hartnell gala dresses (all as exquisitely crafted as the originals) and Princess Margaret’s starkly simple wedding dress (est. £6,000-8,000) could also top any fashionista’s shopping list.
There are also unexpected sketches, like a Harvard sweater like the one Diana wore to the gym (the university supplied the show with a funnel neck style long removed from general sale), like the gold thread-embroidered cardigan Debicki wore shortly after. props from season six (est. £500-700) and – my personal highlight – a 10-piece powder blue leather luggage set embossed with “HRH The Princess of Wales” (est. £2,000-3,000), which can also provide preferential treatment on a one-way Ryanair flight for.
“The amount of effort that goes into making every little thing is breathtaking,” says Randell. “It’s such a small moment on screen, sometimes you can’t even see it, but The Crown has created a believable world that the characters live in.” Even drawers that were closed during filming would be filled with a suitable book or props, such as Charles’s watercolors (and yes, you can buy these too for £150-200).
“One of my favorite dresses is the gold column dress worn by Wallis Simpson. “It flows so beautifully, it’s a complete haute couture dress, made by the atelier, like Schiaparelli, but you only get a glimpse of it in the show when it’s at the Villa Windsor.”
In an action that feels quite spectacular, proceeds from the live sale will go towards establishing the Left Bank Pictures – The Crown Scholarship program at the National Film and Television School. According to Randell, it’s a fitting end for a show that “has put so much passion, money and time into it that it has raised the bar for what a TV series can be like.” A reported $13 million (£10.2 million) was spent on each episode.
Can the royal family itself make the purchase? Boris Johnson has reportedly submitted a £30,000 bid for the life-size façade of Number 10. I could definitely see Princess Anne wearing the vintage Missoni cardigan seen on her character in the show’s early seasons. Randell, meanwhile, said she “loves the revenge dress a celebrity would wear to the Met Gala,” so they could “use it to create a cultural moment.” I wonder if there are any registered bidders in Montecito?