IT'S the award-winning drama series which is tracing the life of the Queen from her wedding in 1947 to the present day.

The Crown, which is set to comprise 60 episodes shown over six seasons, has been wowing TV audiences since it was first screened in 2016.

Locations used by the production crew have included Winchester Cathedral, which has stood in for Westminster Abbey.

Now Rhinefield House Hotel in Brockenhurst is to appear in the third season of the critically-acclaimed Netfix drama, which begins on Sunday.

Daily Echo:

It covers the period between 1964 and 1977, with Olivia Colman taking over from Claire Foy as the Queen. Tobias Menzies has replaced former Doctor Who star Matt Smith as Prince Philip and Princess Margaret is now played by Helen Bonham Carter.

Rhinefield House portrays one of the royal residences on the Balmoral estate.

Almost 20 actors, including Helen and Olivia, stayed at the hotel last year as up to 90 crew members filmed scenes for two-and-a-half days.

A hotel spokesman said: “It was a very lucrative piece of business and very beneficial for the hotel. It’s an amazing venue and no surprise people are inspired to use it for their productions.”

Managers were contacted out of the blue by a member of The Crown’s production team, who had seen a picture of the hotel's outdoor pool on its website.

The spokesman said furniture was changed to create a 1970s-look.

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He added: "The hotel was used as a Balmoral venue so it was nothing to do with the New Forest. They filmed mostly around the outdoor pool but inside as well.”

Matt Callaghan, the district council's economic development manager, added: “This is not the first time one of our New Forest locations has doubled up as another location.

"We have previously seen Beaulieu River as Miami and Lymington Quay as the Shambles in York.

"This underlines the versatility of the New Forest as a filming location and the wide range of productions we can attract.

"The Film:New Forest Office worked closely with Creative England and Forestry England to ensure the necessary permissions were in place.

"The Crown is an example of the significant financial investment which filming can bring to the district."