Summary

A 13th-century moated castle in Kent, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, used as a filming location for The Princess Bride (1987), Star Wars: Episode I (1999), Andor Season 2 (2025), The Third Day (2020), and The Great (2020 TV series).

About this location

Hever Castle sits in the Weald of Kent near the village of Edenbridge, approximately 30 miles south of London. The original castle was built in the 13th century; the gatehouse and outer walls date from around 1270. In the early 16th century the Boleyn family acquired and extended the property, and it was here that Anne Boleyn — the second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I — grew up. Henry VIII courted Anne here before their marriage. After the fall of the Boleyns the castle passed through several hands, eventually reaching William Waldorf Astor in 1903, who restored it extensively and created the Italian Garden and lake that now form a substantial part of the estate’s public offering.

The castle retains its original double moat and drawbridge, and the Tudor interiors include painted panelling, tapestries, and early furniture associated with the Boleyn period. The surrounding estate, operated as a visitor attraction, includes a water maze and topiary gardens. Filming permissions are handled directly by the Hever Castle estate.

The most sustained film relationship is with the Star Wars franchise. Hever doubled for Naboo in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999) and returned for scenes in Andor Season 2 (2025). The Princess Bride (1987) filmed at the castle. The Third Day (2020, HBO/Sky drama-thriller) also used Hever as a key location. Inkheart (2008, based on the Cornelia Funke novel) filmed here. The lake loggia appeared in The Great (2020, Hulu/Channel 4 comedy-drama) as the setting for a peace conference sequence.