It seems likea scene straight from the hit TV show: royalty visiting the Crawley family.But this was real life as Kate Middleton visited the set of Downton Abbey on Thursday to meet members of the cast in celebrating their success.
The8-month pregnant royal arrived at Ealing Studios dressed in a $103 "CreamPrincess Line Maternity Coat" byJoJo Maman Bebe and was greeted by the show's writer and creator Lord JulianFellowes, Robert James Collier, who plays butler Thomas, PhyllisLogan, who stars as housekeeper Mrs. Hughes, and 4-year-old twin brothersOliver and Zac Barker, who alternatively play Lady Mary's son George.
Little Zac even gave Kate a wooden train for her tot. "George hands The Duchess a wooden train for Prince George #DuchessAtDownton @EalingStudios," Kensington Palace wrote on Twitter, next to the photo of the pregnant royal kneeling down to accept the present, while Zac's on-screen mother Michelle Dockery watched.
In one of herfinal engagements before going on maternity leave, the Duchess toured the set and was seen peeking into one of the make-up trailers. Executiveproducer Liz Trubridge showed Prince William's wife the different parts of theproduction process and took her to meet costume designers, seamstresses andscenery and prop departments.
Kate wasable to see a scenebeing filmed in the servants' quarters for the upcoming sixth season of theshow. She then went to watch a second take of thescene on a monitor. Sadly, Dame Maggie Smith, who plays Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, was unable to attend due to illness.
Thisvisit is especially exciting for the mother-to-be as she is personally a hugefan. During the royal couple's tour of New York in December, Prince William revealed that he andhis wife are among the millions of viewers who follow the trials andtribulations of the Crawley family. The Duke told executive producer GarethNeame that he was "really looking forward" to theChristmas special.
And things arereally stirring up in the Downton household because this was the second time ina week royalty has visited the set. The Countess of Wessex took former soap actress and Mexico's First Lady AngelicaRivera to the studios.