'The Crown' season 5 to recreate royal yacht Britannia's farewell

Prince Charles (Dominic West) in 'The Crown'. Picture: Netflix

Prince Charles (Dominic West) in 'The Crown'. Picture: Netflix

Published Aug 26, 2021

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The fifth season of popular series 'The Crown' may air the retirement of the iconic royal yacht “Britannia”.

The reports come in after a replica was spotted at the show's set in Elstree, Hertfordshire.

A replica of the top deck of the yacht, which served the Queen of England for 43 years, was spotted being made on the sets of the show.

According to Daily Mail, the crew was seen building the top deck of the “Britannia”, with green screen panels attached to the edges to replicate the ocean. Various cranes were spotted surrounding the new shiney prop on the sets.

The “Britannia” is said to have made over 600 foreign trips sailing the royals. The yacht retired in 1997 and the ceremony was attended by the senior members of the British royal family.

It was recently reported that the creators of “The Crown” risk angering the royal family by delving into the relationship between Prince Philip and aristocrat Penny Bradbourne during the new series of the show.

Natascha McElhone has joined the cast of the hit Netflix series as Brabourne, with the upcoming series delving into the close relationship she had with the late Duke of Edinburgh – who will be portrayed by Sir Jonathan Pryce – in the 1990s, when the fifth season takes place

The relationship led to "raised eyebrows" at the time as there was a 32-year-age gap between Philip, who died aged 99 in April, and Penny.

An insider told The Sun newspaper: "This is a relationship which naturally raised a few eyebrows and sparked quite a few whispers, but Philip and Penny maintained they were just good friends.

"The makers of 'The Crown' believe it is a relationship worthy of exploring and casting a veteran actor like Natascha is a reflection of how high profile the role is.

"But the highly personal relationship is unlikely to be welcomed as a storyline by Her Majesty or the rest of the royal family."

The series previously sparked controversy in the second series by portraying Philip as a flirtatious man with an eye for the ladies.

Season five will cover the royal events of the 1990s, including Diana's death in a 1997 car crash in Paris.

“The Crown” season 5 is set to stream on Netflix in 2022.

The cast started shooting in July.