The Harry Potter series set got a royal touch this week as Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, paid a visit.
The Hogsmeade Station set built at Windsor Great Park was visited by the family of five earlier this week, according to a report on the Daily Mail, as the set was not so far from their residence. On Friday night, the kids came back to the set with their mother, Middleton, to observe filming.
Reportedly, the new Harry Potter, Dominic McLaughlin, met the royal children along with other cast members. Furthermore, Louis, the youngest of the royal children, rode the Hogwarts Express along the half a mile of track that runs through the woods, along with its famous locomotive.
The royal siblings George, Charlotte, and Louis are reportedly fans of Harry Potter. Interestingly, Queen Camilla revealed in 2017 that King Charles would read JK Rowling's books to George and Charlotte, even before Louis was born. Additionally, this is not the first British royal visit to the set of an HBO series. The Belfast set of Game of Thrones was visited by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2014, during her Northern Ireland trip.
Apart from McLaughlin, Warwick Davis, who is known for his role as Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter film series, will reprise his role for HBO's Harry Potter. Elijah Oshin will portray Dean Thomas, Finn Stephens will essay Vincent Crabbe, and William Nash will play Gregory Goyle. Hogwarts professors who are cast are Sirine Saba as Professor Pomona Sprout, Richard Durden as Professor Cuthbert Binns, and Brid Brennan as Madam Poppy Pomfrey. Leigh Gill will portray Griphook in the series.
Arabella Stanton stars as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. The rest of the cast includes John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Nick Frost, Paapa Essiedu, Bertie Carvel, Anton Lesser, Paul Whitehouse, Johnny Flynn, and Bel Powley, amongst others.
Filming is currently underway for the series, which is written by Francesca Gardiner, with Mark Mylod serving as a director. Gardiner and Mylod serve as executive producers with author JK Rowling, Neil Blair, David Heyman, and Ruth Kenley-Letts. Bronte Film, Heyday Films, and Warner Bros Television are backing the series, which is set to premiere in 2027.