Kate Middleton may have been "very pregnant" when she visited the set of Downton Abbey in March, but that doesn't mean she didn't give the cast and crew her undivided attention.
"We weren't sure what to expect really," Laura Carmichael, who plays Lady Edith, told me yesterday at BAFTA-LA's pre-Emmys Tea Party at the SLS Hotel. "We all got quite shy and she was sort of leading the conversation.
"It was lovely," she continued. "She's so normal. I know everyone says that but she really does try to make everyone feel at ease."
What did they talk about?
"We all lost our minds," Carmichael admitted. "We started talking to her about the catering—I'm sure things she found really boring but we all sort of lost it because we were panicked and star struck. It was one of those weird ones."
Lesley Nicol, who plays Mrs. Patmore, said she chatted with Middleton about "chocolate."
Middleton also "talked about the show," said Jim Carter, who plays Mr. Carson. "She's a big fan of the show. I don't think she'd been on a film set before or a TV set so she was intrigued by how different it looked on the screen and in reality. She overstayed. She stayed long. She was having such a good time."
Downtown Abbey creator Julian Fellowes called Middleton's visit a "seal of approval."
"The duchess is very charming and she follows the show so she was able to talk properly with all the cast and the crew," Fellowes said, adding, "It was a great thrill and treat. We were very honored."
And proving just how tight-lipped they are about storylines, Fellowes insisted, "Even she didn't get any spoilers!"
The final season of Downton Abbey premieres tonight in the U.K. followed by the U.S. in January.
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