Alert Mr. Carson! Duchess of Cambridge to visit ‘Downton Abbey’ set

In news that is sure to delight Anglophiles the world over, on Thursday Kensington Palace announced via Twitter that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, or as us commoners like to call her, Kate, will visit the set of “Downton Abbey” next week.

The former Kate Middleton, who is expecting her second child with Prince William in April, will visit Ealing Studios, the London facility where many of the show’s interior scenes are filmed.

According to the Telegraph, the duchess will meet series creator Julian Fellowes; tour the makeup, wardrobe and set-building departments; and meet cast members Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham), Elizabeth McGovern (Cora, the Countess of Grantham), Maggie Smith (Violet, the dowager countess), Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes), Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore), Robert James-Collier (Thomas) and Sophie McShera (Daisy). She will also watch as a scene from the upcoming sixth season is filmed.

Our first thought? Poor Lady Edith, left out once again. And our second? We only wish Kate would make a cameo appearance next season. She could scrub pots and talk history with Daisy, or enlist Miss Baxter to brush her perfectly shiny hair or hatch a devious revenge plot with Thomas. (Actually, scratch that: Since she’s pregnant, she should probably avoid Thomas and all that secondhand smoke.)

But while she’s there, maybe she could use that royal charm to persuade Maggie Smith to stick around for another sesason?

Exciting as Kate’s upcoming visit will certainly be, it’s not the first time a British royal has showed up on the set of a popular series. Last year Queen Elizabeth eyed the Iron Throne on the “Game of Thrones” set in Belfast while Prince Charles did a spot-on Dalek impression while checking out the “Doctor Who” studios in Wales in 2013.

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