Netflix Recreates Queen Elizabeth II’s 1947 Wedding For New Show At $150 Million

Actress Claire Foy dressed in an exact replica of Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding gown, with a flowing train and matching veil, complete with double strand pearl necklace and a tiara, was shooting for the new Netflix period drama “The Crown”.

The new series based on the life of the reigning queen was being filmed in Ely, Cambridgeshire last week. The new series, which will start airing in 2016, is reportedly the most expensive one to date made with a budget of 100 million pounds (around $150 million), Hello reported.

The royal wedding of Elizabeth with Prince Philip was held in November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. In the Netflix drama, Ely Cathedral is being shown as the Westminster Abbey. A replica of the Queen’s Irish State Coach (the gold horse-drawn carriage), which transported her to the ceremony, was also recreated for the show.

The entire scene of the wedding was recreated, right from the Queen’s Norman Hartwell crystal-and-pearl-embellished white satin wedding gown to the eight bridesmaids and two page boys in their 1940s style white dresses and ruffled shirts with kilts, respectively. Even the actors playing photographers were dressed in matching outfits from the same period.

Matt Smith of “Doctor Who” fame plays Prince Philip for the first two series along with co-star Roy. “The Crown” will feature 60 episodes with six seasons, each season consisting of 10 episodes. It will give insights into the relationship between Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street. The tagline of the period drama is: “Two houses, two courts, one Crown”.

Roy and Smith will play Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip respectively, after which producers will decide if they want to cast older actors or use make-up and prosthetics to play the royals in their later years, Hello reported.

Elizabeth was 21 when she married Prince Philip. The wedding took place just two years after the end of World War II, when austerity measures were in full swing. In order to pay for materials for her gown, the then princess saved up ration coupons, while the extra amount was paid by the government. She received extra coupons from women all over the country, but returned them.

The highly anticipated royal wedding of 1947 was recorded and broadcast by BBC Radio to 200 million people around the world. Royal fans had gathered outside the Westminster Abbey, the Mall and Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the couple.