Duchess Kate Middleton to Visit 'Downton Abbey'
The Duchess will watch a scene of the hit show being filmed
— -- Calling all Lords, Ladies and Countesses -- a real-life Duchess will be making a special appearance in the fictional world of “Downton Abbey.”
Duchess Kate will visit the London set of the hit TV show next Thursday, March 12, the Palace announced today.
Kate, 33, will pay a visit to Ealing Studios to, “celebrate the success of the award-winning production, ‘Downton Abbey,’” the Palace’s statement read.
In what could be a dream for royal watchers and fans of the show alike, the Duchess will meet nearly all of the show’s main cast members including Dame Maggie Smith (Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham), Hugh Bonneville (Robert) and Elizabeth McGovern (Cora).
Kate, who is expecting her second child next month, will also watch one take of a scene being filmed in the servants’ quarters before attending a reception with more of the show’s cast and crew.
Kate’s “Downton Abbey” tour will end with the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate her visit, the Palace said.
Season five of “Downton Abbey” premiered in January in the U.S. on PBS. The cast is currently filming the show’s sixth season.
One of the show’s stars, Dame Maggie Smith, recently told the U.K.’s Sunday Times that she believes this season will be the show's last.
“They say this is the last one, and I can’t see how it could go on,” Smith said. “I mean, I certainly can’t keep going. To my knowledge, I must be 110 by now. We’re into the late 1920s."
