‘Downton Abbey’, the hit British TV drama about a fictional aristocratic family, has just received a real life royal visit from Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.

Kate, who is now heavily pregnant, mingled with the cast and crew of the show at its east London studio when the dropped by on Thursday. By all accounts they were thrilled to meet the Duchess, who is a self-professed fan of the show.

Kate Middleton
The Duchess of Cambridge paid a visit to the set of 'Downton Abbey'

She was given a tour of the set by its creator and writer Julian Fellowes, who introduced her to several of the show’s stars, such as Joanne Frogatt, Brendan Coyle and Phyllis Logan. She seemed keen to access all areas, poking her head into a cramped trailer to see the final touches being applied to Logan’s beehive hairstyle, who plays housekeeper Mrs Hughes.

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The show’s cooks, Sophie McShera (‘Daisy’) and Lesley Nicol (Mrs Patmore) baked a special cake commemorating the occasion, and the footmen even joked that she could “take advantage of our services” and have her shoes cleaned.

‘Downton Abbey’, concerning the fortunes of the fictional Crawley family, has been a runaway success since its first season was broadcast on ITV back in the autumn of 2010. Since then, it has won dozens of awards and been sold into more than 220 territories. The fifth series ended in late 2014 and attracted more than ten million viewers for it finale.

Kate is eight months pregnant with her second child with her husband Prince William and is due to give birth in April. Having mentioned that she was a fan of the show, she is frequently credited with boosting the show’s popularity in America, where it is the highest-rated PBS show in many years.

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You can see a series of pictures of Kate’s visit to ‘Downton Abbey’ at the Kensington Palace official Twitter account.