These are the Houses that The Crown’s royal cast might like best

On 9 November, The Crown will once again return to Netflix. And thank goodness, because we can barely bear the tension any longer. From the (many) questions raised around the royals’ right to privacy, to the manner in which the series’ writers will handle that storyline, there’s been plenty for TV pundits to chew on over the past few months. Still, we reckon writer Peter Morgan and Netflix don’t mind – no publicity is bad publicity as they used to say in Old Hollywood. That said, we do have to remember that the people portrayed on our screens are real – with their own likes, dislikes and unique personalities. 

So, with the knowledge of those personalities held firmly in mind, we present you with our tongue-in-cheek guide to which royal would like which Soho House best. God save the King.

Princess Margaret, played by Lesley Manville

Soho Beach House Canouan

If there were three things that Princess Margaret loved most in life it was cigarettes, vodka and the Caribbean. She famously spent most of her later life on the island of Mustique, whose owner, Lord Glenconner, had offered her a plot of land on for her wedding or ‘something shiny in a little box’. She chose the former and then spent the next few decades drinking vodka and smoking there. And why not? She was the daughter of a king, after all. So, we reckon she would like the crystalline water, traditional Caribbean decor and laid-back air of indolence at Soho Beach House Canouan. Oh, and the boutique where she could buy a turban – her normal mode of dress in these parts, surprisingly.

The Queen, played by Imelda Staunton

River House, Windsor 

Of all the Queen’s residences, she was most fond of Windsor Castle – and had indeed practically grown up there, having been despatched to see out WWII with a regiment of armoured cars. As she commented, the thin string of barbed wire put up around the castle wasn’t so much to keep the Germans out, as her and her sister in. Still, she grew to love it – as we feel she would River House at Oakley Court. It is a fantasia of beauty, with a self-service bar, regular chef takeovers and heated outdoor tents, which would have gone down well with The Queen, who loved an outdoor picnic lunch.

Princess Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki

Little Beach House Malibu

You can imagine her stretched out on a lounger like a leopard, bemoaning the British press and drinking one glass of Chardonnay per day (one has to keep one’s figure, darling). If only she had escaped to America as she had planned after her early 1990s £18m divorce settlement, then this series would be very different. You rather suspect she would have liked Soho Beach House Malibu, given it is breathtakingly beautiful, exclusive and almost excessively romantic, all of which are rather like her.

Princess Anne, played by Claudia Harrison

Soho Farmhouse

The late Prince Phillip once observed of his daughter – ‘if it doesn’t fart or eat hay, she isn’t interested’. So what better place than Soho Farmhouse, with its premier attraction being horse riding, along with swimming in the heated pool, tennis, and lots of other outdoor pursuits the princess likes. We think we might have trouble getting her to be stationary for two hours, so the cinema wouldn’t be her bag. But we feel sure she would approve of the robust, hearty food in the Hay Barn. Just no hay though, please.

Prince Charles, played by Dominic West

Babington House

Prince Charles – now King Charles – has mixed feelings about the press. Indeed, he has fought a decades-long war with the BBC’s Nicholas Witchell, which has sometimes reached such intensity as to be comparable to his frustration with royal pens. He was once caught on a mic at Klosters calling Witchell ‘an awful man’ and saying ‘I really can’t bear him’. With all this in mind, we would suggest Charles might appreciate the privacy and seclusion, and indeed the chocolate box architecture of the House. And also, he would likely feel quite at home: Babington and his beloved Highgrove House could have been separated at birth.