Which three actresses played Elizabeth II?

Helen Mirren, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith

Emily Blunt, Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson

The Crown Quiz: Royal Residences and Filming Sets

Real stately homes doubled for royal residences across six seasons, and this The Crown quiz looks at the palaces, castles and estates of Peter Morgan's Netflix drama. Play 10 interactive questions on Buckingham Palace stand-ins, Balmoral, Clarence House, the Windsor Castle fire, Kensington Palace and the royal yacht.

Start the Crown Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Palace
Which London mansion often stood in for Buckingham Palace?
Balmoral
Which Scottish estate played Balmoral?
Clarence
Where did Princess Elizabeth live before becoming queen?
Fire
Which royal residence burned in 1992, shown in season five?
Diana
Which palace was Diana's home after her separation?
Yacht
Which royal ship's decommissioning appears in The Crown?
Mey
Which Scottish castle did the Queen Mother buy and restore?
Abbey
Which cathedral stood in for Westminster Abbey?
Creator
Who created The Crown?
Queens
Which three actresses played Elizabeth II?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which London mansion often stood in for Buckingham Palace?
Answer: Lancaster House
Lancaster House, near St James's Palace, provided grand interiors that matched the real palace.
Q2: Which Scottish estate played Balmoral?
Answer: Ardverikie House
Ardverikie, near Loch Laggan, also appeared in Monarch of the Glen.
Q3: Where did Princess Elizabeth live before becoming queen?
Answer: Clarence House
She and Philip lived at Clarence House until her accession in 1952.
Q4: Which royal residence burned in 1992, shown in season five?
Answer: Windsor Castle
The fire damaged more than 100 rooms during the Queen's annus horribilis.
Q5: Which palace was Diana's home after her separation?
Answer: Kensington Palace
Diana lived in apartments at Kensington Palace.
Q6: Which royal ship's decommissioning appears in The Crown?
Answer: HMY Britannia
The royal yacht Britannia was retired in 1997 and is now moored in Edinburgh.
Q7: Which Scottish castle did the Queen Mother buy and restore?
Answer: Castle of Mey
The Castle of Mey, on the far north coast, became her retreat.
Q8: Which cathedral stood in for Westminster Abbey?
Answer: Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire hosted coronation and wedding scenes.
Q9: Who created The Crown?
Answer: Peter Morgan
Peter Morgan had earlier written The Queen and the play The Audience.
Q10: Which three actresses played Elizabeth II?
Answer: Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton
Each played the queen for two seasons as she aged.

The Crown Quiz – Palaces on Screen

The Crown ran on Netflix from 2016 to 2023, telling the story of Elizabeth II's reign. Because real royal homes are off-limits for filming, the producers used grand houses across Britain as stand-ins.

Lancaster House in London often doubled as Buckingham Palace, Ardverikie House played Balmoral and Ely Cathedral stood in for Westminster Abbey. Scenes also featured Clarence House, Sandringham and the Castle of Mey.

Later seasons showed the 1992 Windsor Castle fire, Diana's life at Kensington Palace and the retirement of the royal yacht Britannia in 1997. Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton played the queen across the series.

What This Quiz Teaches

TV fans and royal history readers will enjoy these questions.

Which houses doubled for palaces
Where key events happened
Which homes belonged to whom
Who created the series
Who played the queen

Did You Know?

Wilton House also stood in for palace rooms.
Some sets were built at Elstree Studios.
Britannia is open to visitors in Leith.
Sandringham is the royal Christmas home.
The series won Emmys for Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.