Cathedral’s all Spiced up for the meeting of Charles and Ginger
IT was a famous meeting 26 years ago when the royal behind was playfully patted.
Now The Crown has recreated the encounter between Prince Charles and Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls.
And the unlikely setting for the meeting was a transformed Winchester Cathedral.
A host of characters from the hit Netflix drama were spotted shooting scenes at the majestic 11th century Hampshire cathedral yesterday. The building apparently stood in for Manchester Opera House, which hosted the 1997 Prince’s Trust concert where Ms Halliwell – Ginger Spice – patted Charles on the bottom.
The Wannabe star later said: ‘Patting him on the bottom was against royal protocol but we’re all human.’
She also kissed Charles on the cheek along with bandmate Mel B as he was introduced the chart-topping band.
The cathedral also doubled as Westminster Abbey for scenes depicting what appeared to be the Queen Mother’s 2002 funeral. The Crown is currently filming its sixth season, which covers the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Charles is played by Dominic West but it was unclear last night who takes on the role of Ms Halliwell.
West, 53, was seen in the grounds of the cathedral dressed in a black morning coat.
Extras in the show took on the roles of Beefeaters, priests, pages of honour and Queen’s Guards. The coffin was draped in a flag bearing the Queen Mother’s insignia.
It is understood The Crown has taken over the cathedral for several days, with producers hiring the building.
A sign posted outside said that it would be closed yesterday and today.