Remembering Shay Leonard: The Legacy of The Crown's Art Director

The Tragic Losses of The Crown Season 6

The Crown season 6, part 2 featured a dedication at the end of episode 6 to Shay Leonard, which might leave viewers wondering who he was and why the final season was dedicated to him. The deaths in The Crown season 6 made it the most tragic and heartbreaking in the series, made even sadder by the nature of it being the show’s last. The Crown season 6 featured multiple dedications, as shown through title cards at the end of the episodes, suggesting that the tragedy didn’t end with the on-screen deaths.

Queen Elizabeth II's coronation dress in The Crown season 2

The tribute to Shay Leonard came at the end of The Crown season 6, episode 6, “Ruritania.” Following the final scene between Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth II, a title card read, “In memoriam, Shay Leonard, 1970 – 2023.” According to Women’s Health, Shay Leonard was an art director and producer on The Crown who oversaw props. The Dublin-born Leonard died in June 2023 after a 6-month battle with an unspecified illness. Though he passed a few short months after The Crown season 6 finished filming in April 2023, Leonard hadn’t worked on the series since 2020, making The Crown season 4 the final season he contributed to.

Olivia Coleman as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown Season 3 wearing her blue sash

The Impact of Shay Leonard's Work on The Crown

Through his work from The Crown seasons 2 through 4, Shay Leonard helped make The Crown not just successful but visually stunning as well. The Crown is an extremely expensive show to produce, but the cost is justified due to all that needs to come together to make the finished product. With his work on props, Leonard helped to make The Crown authentic and maintain its air of luxury. Now that the series has ended, 450 props and costumes from The Crown will be on display at Bonhams Auction House in London before going up for sale, allowing viewers to see the behind-the-scenes work of Leonard and many others.

While Shay Leonard received a dedication for his 30 episodes of work dressing props on The Crown, his credits span beyond the Netflix drama. Leonard’s first credits go back to 1998 and continue through 2022, with his work on Anatomy of a Scandal. He is also known for being a part of the art department for the films Hot Fuzz, Sherlock Holmes, and The Ghost Writer. For these contributions to film and television, Shay Leonard’s work is remembered and lives on.

The Legacy of The Crown and Its Impact on Viewers

The Crown is one of Netflix’s biggest hits, having premiered in 2016 to great acclaim and remaining popular throughout, despite some decline in quality. The Crown season 6 ending offered a fitting goodbye to the series and its characters through cameos from Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, the previous Queen Elizabeth II actresses. Outside the tragic losses, The Crown season 6 also focused on the Queen’s feelings about her role as monarch in a society that seemed to be outgrowing the need for her. The coming-of-age of Prince William represented a new era for The Crown, as well as a reminder that the story continues beyond Queen Elizabeth II.

The tribute to Shay Leonard came at the end of The Crown season 6, episode 6, “Ruritania.” Following the final scene between Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth II, a title card read, “In memoriam, Shay Leonard, 1970 – 2023.” According to Women’s Health, Shay Leonard was an art director and producer on The Crown who oversaw props. The Dublin-born Leonard died in June 2023 after a 6-month battle with an unspecified illness. Though he passed a few short months after The Crown season 6 finished filming in April 2023, Leonard hadn’t worked on the series since 2020, making The Crown season 4 the final season he contributed to.