Bryan Appleyard made the comparison at the start of his critical review of the new film on Princess Margaret’s life, The Queen’ s Sister.
Writing in the Sunday Times Culture magazine, 13 November, Appleyard continued: “Back in the 18th century its easy Palladian grandeur embodied a relaxed but firm grip on the social order. But the moment did not last. Subsequently, it lost its grip entirely, becoming a mental institution before being severely damaged by fire in 1994, two years after the same thing happened to Windsor Castle. Now Botleys, like Buckingham Palace, is a flagship commercial building, restored, as its website says, to it former glory, though not, alas, to its former dignity. The house was pretending to be Kensington Palace, and inside they were filming The Queen’s Sister.”
The film is to be shown on Channel 4, Sunday November 27th, 9pm.
Richard Griffiths, managing director of Network Data Ltd, commented: “Not sure about the remark about Botleys lacking its former dignity, but otherwise we are pleased to see it get the recognition it deserves as a building of exceptional historical importance. Fortunately, due to the layout of the building, we were able to accommodate the filming without any significant interruption to the day to day running of Network Data. And please, no jokes about Botleys still operating as a mental institution. I’ve heard them all.”
