Yesterday saw the Countess of Wessex tour the set , accompanied by the Mexican First Lady , Angélica Rivera . Now Kensington Palace has announced that Downton Abbey is to have a second royal visitor , this time , the Duchess of Cambridge . Kate , 33 , will travel to Ealing Studios in London , where she will be shown around the set and introduced to cast members , among them Dame Maggie Smith who plays the formidable Dowager Countess . Scroll down for video . Going to Downton : The Duchess of Cambridge is to visit the set of Downton Abbey next week . Other cast members due to be introduced to the Duchess include Phyllis Logan , who plays Mrs Hughes , and Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern who play the Earl and Countess of Grantham . The Duchess , who is eight months pregnant with her second child , will also watch a scene being filmed and be shown a walkway crammed with memorabilia detailing the history of Ealing Studios . The cast are currently filming series six of the long-running ITV drama , with cast and crew splitting their time between Ealing and locations such as Highclere Castle in Berkshire which stands in for the eponymous Downton Abbey . Downton is , of course , no stranger to royal visits having previously hosted the Countess of Wessex and , in 2011 , royal in-laws Carole , Michael and Pippa Middleton . Royal visit : Yesterday saw the Countess of Wessex and Mexico's Angélica Rivera pay a visit to the set . Visitors : Pippa Middleton has visited the set and the Duchess of Cornwall is a 'Downton addict ' Meeting the royals : Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern are among cast members who will meet Kate . The drama also boasts several royal fans , among them the Duchess of Cornwall who confessed to being a 'Downton addict ' when she met cast member Lesley Nichol ( Mrs Patmore ) last year . Another fan of the drama is the Duchess of Cambridge who , in 2011 , told Jessica Findlay-Brown , who played Lady Sybil that she and Prince William are both avid viewers . One royal who is yet to visit is the Queen , although she did get a taste of life on set when she visited the cast of Game of Thrones in Belfast last year . Although Her Majesty declined to sit on the infamous Iron Throne , she did reference the TV series during the 2014 Queen 's speech . Buckingham Palace : The Christmas 2013 episode featured Edward VIII and George V. Visit : The Queen is no stranger to a set visit and toured the Game of Thrones set last year . Downton creator Julian Fellowes has also been known to write the royals , albeit historical ones , into the series with the 2013 season including a storyline about Edward VIII and his first great love , Freda Dudley-Ward . The story focused on Lady Rose 's debut which , in the series , was staged at Buckingham Palace and , in one scene , saw her dance in the arms of the future king who was played by Oliver Dinsdale . His father , George V , also made an appearance in the 2013 Christmas episode , with the Queen 's grandfather portrayed by Guy Williams .
The Duchess of Cambridge will visit the set of Duchess of Cornwall next week . Kate , who is eight months pregnant , is second royal visitor in seven days . Downton had a visit from Sophie Wessex and Mexico 's Angélica Rivera . Show has also included historical royals such as George V in storylines . Kate has previously admitted to being a fan , as is Prince William . Other fans include Camilla , Downton Abbey and Pippa Middleton . Pippa visited the set with Michael and Carole Middleton in 2011 .