Things We Saw Today: $200,000 Antique Prop Heist on The Crown Season 5 Set

At roughly $13 million per episode, The Crown remains the most expensive series produced by Netflix to date, and season five has gotten unexpectedly pricier. Over a week ago, during the filming of season 5 of The Crown, a group of thieves stole over 350 items between three vehicles parked nearby where a unit was shooting that day.

Variety reported the total value of the items stolen amounted to $200,000. The items include crystal glassware, gold and silver candelabras, Russian religious icons, and a replica of an 1897 Imperial Coronation Fabergé egg. While the stolen items won’t affect filming, Netflix and those on the team are asking for the items’ swift return. According to Antiques Trade Gazette, the series’ set decorator for season five, Alison Harvey, said, “The items stolen are not necessarily in the best condition and therefore of limited value for resale. However, they are valuable as pieces to the U.K. film industry.”

Much of the response online falls into two camps. One group is joking about this event becoming the plot of an upcoming Netflix project, while others joke about the irony of objects stolen from a show about British Royalty. Much (I’d argue most) of the wealth accumulated from the British crown of the last 500 years comes from the exploitation and subjugation of those under Britain’s rule (mostly in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean)—not just money, labor, and influence, but actual goods and rare material.

That being said, the stolen objects didn’t come from the British crown—they came from Netflix. Some of the items might come from a prop shop for rent. Maybe this heist was a reaction to the latest price increase from Netflix? We’ll never know.

(image: Netflix)

Here are some other bits of news we saw today:

• While they will not be enterting Ukraine, the NATO Response Force has been activated for first time ever. (via CNN)
• Lyric Ross will play Riri Williams’ BFF in Marvel’s Ironheart Disney+ series. (via The Hollywood Reporter)
• Mick Jagger and Questlove will produce a four-part docuseries about James Brown currently titled James Brown: Say It Loud for A&E, coming 2023. (via Deadline)

• Civil engineers and conservationists explain the causes and issues of orphaned oil/gas wells and why it’s so expensive to address. (via CNBC)
• M*A*S*H, Star Trek, and Twilight Zone actress Sally Kellerman passed away at 84. (via NPR)
• Co-creator Jemaine Clement confirms season four of What We Do In The Shadows completed shooting. (via Slashfilm)
• The 15th Annual Project for Awesome kicks off this weekend with all money raised during the 48 hour livestreaming going to various non-profits like Partners in Health. (via Vlogbrothers)

Let us know below what we missed, and take care of yourself this weekend!

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Alyssa Shotwell

(she/her) Award-winning artist and writer with professional experience and education in graphic design, art history, and museum studies. She began her career in journalism in October 2017 when she joined her student newspaper as the Online Editor. This resident of the yeeHaw land spends most of her time drawing, reading and playing the same handful of video games—even as the playtime on Steam reaches the quadruple digits. Currently playing: Baldur's Gate 3 & Oxygen Not Included.

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