For the second time in a week there was royalty on the set of Downton Abbey when the Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, visited Ealing Studios on Thursday. The pregnant Duchess debuted a chic cream maternity coat by JoJo Maman Bébé as she stepped out to meet the cast and crew of the popular ITV show. Eagerly waiting to welcome Kate to the studios were Downton's writer and creator Lord Julian Fellowes, Michelle Dockery, who is known to fans of the show as Lady Mary, Robert James Collier, who plays butler Thomas, Phyllis Logan, who stars as housekeeper Mrs Hughes, and four-year-old twin brothers Oliver and Zac Barker who alternatively play Lady Mary's son George.
The Duchess of Cambridge watching Phyllis Logan having her hair styled
The Duchess, who is eight months pregnant with Prince George's little brother or sister, toured behind-the-scenes areas and was seen excitedly peeking into one of the make-up trailers on set. Accompanied by executive producer Liz Trubridge, Prince William's wife was shown different parts of the production process and met costume designers, seamstresses and saw scenery and prop stores.
Kate watched a scene via a monitor in the Video Village
Later Kate was given the chance to see a scene being filmed in the servants' quarters for the forthcoming sixth series of the show. The Duchess then headed to the Video Village area to watch a second take of the scene on a monitor. Kate's visit comes a week after the Countess of Wessex took Mexico's First Lady Angelica Rivera to visit the set of one of the UK's most popular TV exports.
The Duchess with Lord Julian Fellowes and Brendan Coyle, who plays John Bates
The wife of President Enrique Peña Nieto, who is a soap actress in her native country and who has who has appeared in several Latin American shows since her twenties, looked right at home as she met some of the UK's most famous small-screen stars.