Where was The Royals filmed? A guide to the iconic locations

The Royals sits somewhere between guilty-pleasure soap and escapist royal fantasy, so fans naturally want to know where all that velvet-rope drama unfolded on screen. The E! series ran four seasons between 2015 and 2018 before its Netflix Indian counterpart dropped in 2025, yet both versions lean hard on real heritage sites to sell their respective monarchies. Mapping those sites turns a rewatch into a travel itinerary and keeps The Royals conversation alive on streaming charts right now.

Blenheim Palace dominates exteriors

Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire served as the primary stand-in for the fictional Henstridge royal residence across all four seasons. Its Baroque grandeur supplied both sweeping drive-ups and intimate courtyard shots that anchored the show’s visual identity. The same estate also doubled for several state-room interiors when the production needed authentic period detail without building sets from scratch.

Winston Churchill’s birthplace status adds another layer of recognition for American viewers already steeped in history-channel lore. E! even produced behind-the-scenes palace tours during the original run that still circulate on fan accounts today. Public access remains straightforward, with ticketed days open year-round except for private events.

Production designers chose Blenheim partly because its scale matched the show’s soapy ambitions. Smaller estates rarely photograph as convincingly when cameras need to suggest an entire working monarchy. That single-location consistency helped viewers instantly recognize the palace whenever the story returned to home base.

Production moved around Kent estates

Once the writers expanded storylines beyond palace walls, crews headed to Kent for fresh backdrops. Boughton Monchelsea Place near Maidstone appeared in season two as a private manor visited by Princess Eleanor and Jasper. Allington Castle offered another aristocratic setting during the same stretch, giving the show varied room-to-room flow without digital augmentation.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham supplied industrial grit for season-four sequences involving tunnels, gardens, and the preserved warship HMS Cavalier. Those scenes balanced soft royal life with more grounded action, widening The Royals tonal range. Chapel Place in Tunbridge Wells hosted a royal-wedding sequence that ultimately landed on the cutting-room floor.

Kent Film Office records show these locations were booked for short, targeted shoots rather than long residencies. The quick pivots kept budgets in check while still delivering postcard-ready British countryside. Fans tracing character arcs can now cross-reference episode guides with county tourism sites.

Studio work filled remaining gaps

Not everything required a stately pile. Several interior scenes landed at 3 Mills Studios in east London, where sound stages accommodated tighter dialogue beats and night shoots. The facility’s proximity to Heathrow also helped when cast members flew in from Los Angeles between blocks.

Sound-stage flexibility proved essential once storylines grew wilder in seasons three and four. Crews could light royal ballrooms overnight without negotiating extra hours at heritage sites governed by strict conservation rules. That hybrid approach kept The Royals schedule on target through its full run.

3 Mills still hosts tour groups interested in British television infrastructure. While nothing overtly The Royals branded survives, the studio’s general history makes it a logical second stop for location pilgrims touring London proper.

Indian version refreshes the brand

The 2025 Netflix adaptation titled The Royals shifts continents but keeps the same core title recognition. Principal photography wrapped between February and May 2024 in Rajasthan and Mumbai, using actual royal properties still owned by former princely families. Early social posts from crew members highlighted the switch from cold English stone to warm Rajasthan sandstone.

Streaming algorithms pushed both versions into overlapping recommendation queues this summer, reviving older E! episodes right beside the new Indian limited series. Fans comparing notes online quickly noticed the contrast between Blenheim’s disciplined symmetry and the colorful-geometric layouts of Rajput architecture. That cross-cultural dialogue keeps The Royals trending in travel forums.

US viewers planning India trips now add these palaces to itineraries previously reserved for Game of Thrones sites. The timing works because shoulder-season palace rates remain competitive before peak winter travel begins.

Rajasthan forts supply new grandeur

City Palace in Jaipur anchored many interior and courtyard sequences for the Indian series. Its preserved zenana wings and public durbar halls gave showrunners immediate visual shorthand for contemporary royal life still rooted in protocol. Crews filmed around regular tourist hours by negotiating early-morning or evening slots.

Mundota Fort and Palace offered a hilltop perch with panoramic views that read as both defensive and decorative on camera. Samode Palace contributed intimate frescoed rooms for quieter character moments. Production designers mixed these heritage spaces with controlled lighting to balance tradition and modernity.

Alila Fort Bishangarh delivered the dramatic silhouette needed for establishing shots of the fictional Morpur kingdom. Its restored ramparts and poolside terraces doubled as both set and crew housing, trimming logistical costs. Similar arrangements recur at several Rajasthan properties featured this year.

Luxury resorts double as sets

Shiv Vilas Resort outside Jaipur stood in for guest-palace sequences where modern diplomacy meets old-world hospitality. Its theatrical design language aligned perfectly with the rom-com tone of the Netflix version. Guests today can book the same suites glimpsed on screen.

St. Regis Resort in Goa provided coastal contrast when the story needed a break from desert heat. Beachfront villas and formal dining rooms hosted lighter subplots involving younger royals. The resort still markets itself as The Royals filming location on its website.

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