Royal real estate - Bridgerton Season 3 filming locations
Pack your bag and set off for some TV travel
Hold on to your bonnets - Bridgerton is back on Netflix. To celebrate the start of Season 3, we’ve put together a slightly different newsletter this week, joining with our sister publication The British Travel List, for the top filming locations of the smash-hit series. Put these posh spots on your travel to-do list:
Bath, Somerset
The third season heads back to the city made famous by Jane Austen – oh, and the Romans, of course. The Royal Crescent provides the backdrop for Mayfair and the Featheringtons’ home. Lady Danbury’s house is in real life, the Holburne Museum. Visitbath.co.uk; holburne.org
Claydon, Buckinghamshire
See if you can spot this 18th century National Trust property, which appears this season. nationaltrust.org.uk
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
Famous Blenheim Palace has featured in Queen Charlotte as Buckingham House, but will also appear in Season 3 of Bridgerton. What better excuse do you need to visit? Maria visited recently and recommends the Icons of British Fashion exhibition, on until 30 June. blenheimpalace.com
Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire
Lord Hawkins is a new character and quirky Grimsthorpe Castle, near Bourne, Lincolnshire, doubles as his home. grimsthorpe.co.uk
Basildon Park, Berkshire
This National Trust house previously appeared as the Featheringtons’ garden, but the 18th century interiors feature this season, as the home of new character, Lady Tilley Arnold. nationaltrust.org.uk
Hampton Court Palace, London
Hampton Court, near Kingston, the former palace of Henry VIII, is no stranger to Bridgerton and appears once more, as the location of a ball. hrp.org.uk
Osterley Park & House, London
Another ball – an outdoor one this time – takes place at Osterley Park, in Isleworth, west London. A National Trust site, it’s one of the last surviving country estates in London. nationaltrust.org.uk
Ranger’s House, London
The Bridgerton family home is the English Heritage-run Ranger’s House, next to Greenwich Park in Blackheath, and is back for another season. The Georgian villa houses a huge collection of art. english-heritage.org.uk
Chiswick House, London
Similarly, another regular filming spot, Chiswick House and gardens, in London, returns this season. chiswickhouseandgardens.org.uk
Our red King looks magnificent
We know it’s divided opinion, but we’re big fans of King Charles’ first official portrait completed since the Coronation. Even the artist himself admitted it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
Charles unveiled his controversial new portrait, by artist Jonathan Yeo, who has also painted Queen Camilla, when she was Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace. Commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the-then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company, he is wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975, and to whom the Company is affiliated.
There’s also a lovely reference to the King’s “passion for nature” - a monarch butterfly above his shoulder. “When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales,” Yeo said, “and much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed.
Charles joked: “It’s nice to know I was a chrysalis when you first met me,” after listening to Yeo’s speech at the unveiling on Tuesday. “It is remarkable actually, how it’s turned out,” he said, remarking that Yeo had been “fiddling away” since he last saw it.
You can see the impressive portrait for free, at Philip Mould Gallery on London’s Pall Mall until June 14. It will then be on display at Drapers’ Hall from the end of August.
William pilots an Apache helicopter
With Charles officially handing over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to the Prince of Wales on Monday, William wasted no time in carrying out his first engagement as their leader - by taking to the skies.
“The great thing is he’s a very good pilot indeed,” said Charles about William, during the ceremony at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, Hampshire. Before the handover, the King had been Colonel-in-Chief for 32 years ago. The Army Air Corps is also Harry’s former regiment, flying in Apache helicopters on two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
Following the handover, William changed into fatigues and skilfully flew an Apache from the base. He’s got plenty of air miles under his belt. William was formerly an RAF search and rescue pilot in North Wales and an air ambulance pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The following day, William was on cloud nine thanks to his beloved Aston Villa qualifying for the Champions League next season. Read his personal tweet here.
Camilla says hi to Rye
We love a National Trust house, especially when they have links to famous authors, and celebrated book-lover Camilla, does too.
So we were delighted to see the Queen in Kerry’s neck of the woods this week, when she made a surprise appearance at the opening session of Charleston Festival on Thursday, talking about the power of reading. Afterwards, she visited Lamb House, former home to Henry James and E. F. Benson, who set Mapp & Lucia there. She was shown special items from the house’s historic collection of books. Kerry wrote about her visit to Lamb House recently, here.
Harry & Meghan’s big day
The Duke and Duchess are celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary today. Married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on 19 May 2018, the traditional gift to mark six years is iron. Judging from their three-day trip to Nigeria earlier this week, their love looks ironclad.