It looks like Bridgerton will have to find a new filming location as their plans to shot scenes at the former hometown of Prince Andrew at Sunninghill Park have been blocked by the local council.
According to reports, the hitch with the location has become a headache for the producers. They wanted the film Bridgerton season 2 at the Berkshire location which will stand as a makeshift for London during the Georgian period.
The crew had a plan to make a grand set featuring lavish houses from the 1800s. However, the local council rejected the idea after the residents protested. The Netflix show had planned on using the same set for the next three seasons, which means that five acres of the estate will be converted to a film set.
According to BBC, the locals refused Bridgerton because the construction could ruin a lot of the character and the green spaces of Sunninghill Park. If the series will only film about six to eight weeks, then much of the set to be left behind for the next production will be unused for long periods.
Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson used to have a mansion in Sunninghill Park when they were starting their family with their children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. However, following the couple's divorce, Andrew moved into the Royal Lodge at the queen's Windsor estate. Their mansion has also been bulldozed to make way for a new property from its new owner, a foreign billionaire.
Years later, Andrew's ex-wife also followed and moved into the Royal Lodge as they agreed to co-parent their two daughters who were still minors at that time. The Duke and Duchess of York have made the Royal Lodge their permanent home even as Beatrice and Eugenie moved out to start their own families.
Incidentally, Ferguson was previously excited for the prospect of Bridgerton filming season 2 at Sunninghill Park. She has said in interviews that she is obsessed with the series and has watched it twice when the first season was released. She was excited about the idea of Sunninghill Park becoming the show's backdrop but that will not happen anymore.
Meanwhile, Bridgerton also ran into problems with securing a location because some of the sites they planned on using are now part of the set of The Crown season 5, another Netflix period drama. The Crown will begin filming in the summer. Both shows are expected to launch their new seasons in late 2022.
