Break out the good china and fancy guest soaps — the Duchess is coming to visit! Kensington Palace announced on Thursday, March 5, that Kate Middleton plans to visit the set of the popular PBS period drama Downton Abbey later this month.
Prince William‘s pregnant wife will drop in on Ealing Studios in London on Thursday, March 12. While there, she’ll tour the set and meet with cast and crew of the Emmy-winning series. (Per the Telegraph, Ealing is where a lot of the indoor scenes are filmed for Downton; the show also shoots at Highclere Castle near Newbury, Berkshire.)
The Duchess of Cambridge, 33, and her husband, 32, are noted (and self-proclaimed) fans of the show. Back in December 2013, Downton star Allen Leech told Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen that the Duke himself had expressed his affection for the show in a recent conversation.
“I was actually at an event last week with Prince William, now the Duke of Cambridge,” Leech, who plays Tom Branson, told Cohen. “I met him last week, shook his hand. He actually said, ‘I’m a big fan of the show — only now that my wife’s had a baby.'”
(The royal couple welcomed their first child, Prince George, in July 2013. They’re expecting their second child this year.)
“Obviously he’s now got a lot of downtime, so [Kate’s said], ‘I’m watching this and you’re watching it with me,'” Leech surmised.
Downton Abbey just finished its fifth season on PBS’s Masterpiece. In addition to Leech, it stars Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, Lily James, Rob James-Collier, Elizabeth McGovern, and Maggie Smith.