Crowning Glory: The Crown Auction 100% Sold Creating Pioneering New Stream Of Funding For NFTS Students

This week, the highly anticipated The Crown Auction was announced 100% sold, with over 450 costumes, sets, and props from the award-winning series The Crown achieving more than £1,674,000 million from a live sale at Bonhams New Bond Street on 7 February and an online sale which ran from 11 January-8 February.

photo showing auction room with image of golden carriage on screen and auctioneer raising gavel

Thanks to Left Bank Pictures, a proportion of the proceeds from the auction will be dedicated to the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in the form of a brand new funding opportunity. Left Bank Pictures - The Crown Scholarship will support at least 50 students to train at the NFTS over the next 20 years on fully-funded scholarships with additional living expenses, providing the specialised training for which the school is globally renowned.

A particularly special moment in the auction saw Lot 158, a model of The Queen’s funeral procession as seen in the last episode of The Crown, (Season 6, Episode 10) sell for £53,740, six times the pre-sale estimate of £8,000-12,000. A scale replica of The Mall from Admiralty Arch to Buckingham Palace with trees, lampposts and rows of miniature soldiers, 800 of which were meticulously painted by NFTS Model Making Diploma students.

Andy Harries, Chief Executive of Left Bank Pictures and Executive Producer of The Crown, added: “It is a fantastically fitting end to The Crown to see the props and costumes raise such phenomenal amounts of money for the NFTS Left Bank Pictures scholarship at Bonhams this week. It was even more satisfying to see the model of the Funeral Procession go for such a high figure. Crafted by students from the NFTS for season 6 of The Crown it perfectly captures the ethos of The Crown Auction – to give back to the industry which made the series possible. Huge thanks to Bonhams for delivering this spectacular auction.”

The auction followed an exclusive 3-week exhibition at Bonhams New Bond Street of the auction props and costumes with a record-breaking 30,000 visitors coming through the doors to see at first hand the exceptional craftsmanship and creativity of the series.

Jon Wardle, Director of the National Film and Television School, said: “We are thrilled with the result and enormously grateful to Left Bank Pictures. The proceeds from the auction will play a crucial role in supporting life-changing scholarships at the National Film and Television School ensuring the next generation of film and television makers are given the opportunity to benefit from our world-renowned training, paying forward The Crown’s legacy for many years to come.”

The National Film and Television School is honoured to have been chosen for such a profound opportunity and we look forward to welcoming our first Crown Scholars soon.