Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty ImagesUPDATE: Downton Abbey executive producer Gareth Neame tells E! News, "We are so honored to have had Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge join us on the set of Downton Abbey. The Duchess is a great fan of the show so it was interesting to see her step into the world-renowned sets and see the characters come to life. She was so incredibly gracious to spend time with our actors and those behind the camera who bring the saga of the Crawley family to life."
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There is a real royal at Downton Abbey!
Kate Middleton paid a visit to the set of the famed estate Thursday morning, where cast (dressed in costume, of course) and crew welcomed her with open arms! Although the palace revealed a rough schedule for what the Duchess of Cambridge would be doing while visiting Ealing Studios, we now know exactly how royalty gets treated while visiting, well, royalty!
When Prince William's wife arrived on set, Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes greeted her before she embarked on her private tour of the grandiose set. First stop: makeup and costume trailers! While exploring the hair and makeup department, Kate met Phyllis Logan, AKA Ms. Hughes, and Robert James-Collier, better known as under butler Thomas.
According to the U.K. Mirror, he joked, "You've come just at the right time! Phyllis is about to have her Botox put in."
She also talked to designers and seamstresses about their process of creating such intricate costumes for the show's characters. We have a sneaking suspicion that the designers wanted to ask Kate about her wardrobe LOL!
Before meeting with more members of the cast, Kate was able to watch a scene being filmed for upcoming season six via monitor in the "video village." After they finished filming, Kate met with Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Anna (Joanne Froggat). While this rarely happens on the show, royalty went downstairs and met with Daisy (Sophie McShera) and Mrs. Patmore (Leslie Nicol), where they presented her with a gorgeous chocolate cake!
Molesley (Kevin Doyle) and Baxter also offered to polish the Duchess' shoes in the boot room. While we're sure the expectant mother wanted to take a load off, she probably kept her shoes on throughout the rest of the tour, especially since she took a group pic with Fellowes, producers and the cast of the award-winning show.
Before the Duchess' big visit, Bonneville talked about the cast's anitcipation while accepting the HD Drama Programme of the Year award for Downton Abbey at the Tric Awards Tuesday.
"We're all very excited," he dished. "Mrs Patmore is baking a cake and we're all bringing in sandwiches. It's going to be a show and tell day."
We hope there was tea with those sandwiches!
Love all things royal? The Royals premieres on Sunday, March 15 at 10/9c on E! Follow The Royals on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates!
(Originally published March 12, 2015 at 6:08 a.m. PT)