Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton reportedly organized a very special evening for their children this weekend — a visit to the set of the new Harry Potter TV series!
According to the Daily Mail, Kate, 43, brought Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, to meet a few members of the cast and watch some scenes during filming for the upcoming HBO show on Friday, September 26.
Although William, 43, was visiting his father, King Charles III, in Scotland at the time, Kate and the kids reportedly saw the set of Hogsmeade Station, which was built on Windsor Great Park — just a short distance from the royal family’s new home in Windsor’s Forest Lodge.
“It was so special,” a source who was on set during the royal visit told the outlet. “Kate and the children met the young actors and the director [Mark Mylod] on the set. There was only one night of filming there, so it really was a magical ticket.”
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The insider noted that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis got to chat with Dominic McLaughlin, who will play Harry Potter in the series, as well as Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley) and Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger).
Apparently, Prince Louis even got to ride the Hogwarts Express.
“He seemed to absolutely love it. It’s the dream for most children to step aboard the Hogwarts Express,” the source said.
Us Weekly reached out to Kensington Palace for confirmation on the set visit.
The royal family are fans of J.K. Rowling’s book series, with Queen Camilla admitting that she and Charles, 76, read the stories to their grandchildren.
“Sometimes, when we are with my husband in Scotland, he reads them Harry Potter,” Camilla, 78, told the Daily Mail in 2017. “And he does all the voices, because he is a brilliant mimic. I’m not very good. I try to do the voices, but acting isn’t my forte. But he sits down and they all sit with him.”
She added, “I always think they are going to be wriggling around in the bed, but they sit spellbound.”
The royals are also fans of the Harry Potter film franchise, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
Back in 2013, when Kate was pregnant with Prince George, she and William paid a visit to The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, where they saw the film’s costumes, had a wand duel and checked out Diagon Alley with Prince Harry.
“Harry’s just excited to see a real life talking owl in the Harry Potter studios,” William joked of his brother at the time. “I haven’t told him yet that Harry Potter is fictional, so please keep the secret for a little longer.”
Although William and Harry, 41, are no longer on speaking terms, Harry was able to have a private meetup with his estranged father at Clarence House on September 10. (Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as senior royals in 2020 and moved to the U.S., causing tension within the royal family.)
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A source told Us Weekly that the “mood was genuine and positive” during Harry and Charles’ recent reunion, adding that there was even “laughter” despite the pair having not been in the same room for nearly two years.
“They shared a long hug when they first saw each other,” the insider told Us. “Harry started crying and it was very emotional for both of them. They really missed each other.”
While the father-son relationship seems to be on the mend amid Charles’ cancer battle, the same cannot be said for brothers Harry and William.
“I think that Harry’s relationship with his brother is a different beast than his relationship with his father,” royal expert Kristen Meinzer exclusively told Us in August. “But perhaps if Charles warms more to Harry, William will feel compelled to follow his lead.”
