‘Downton Abbey’ season 6: Duchess Kate Middleton to visit … the set

For all of those wanting to see Kate Middleton hop in a Tardis and go back in time to the days of “Downton Abbey,” you are probably going to be disappointed. However, much of the cast of the ITV series will certainly not feel the same way about the Duchess of Cambridge’s role in the upcoming sixth season.

Kensington Palace announced this week that Middle is going to be visiting the set of the show in precisely one week on March 12. Let it be known that specifically, she is visiting Ealing Studios in London. While the upstairs scenes on the series are actually filmed at the famed Highclere Castle, the scenes for many of the downstairs characters are filmed many miles away. The kitchens at Highclere have been modernized, and it would look even worse for the show than the infamous water-bottle fiasco if they actually decided to film the bulk of the series there.

This visit will mostly be an opportunity for Middleton to help recognize the cast and crew for what is an exemplary program, and one that has really helped to put British television on the map even more than it was already. We feel like it has helped tremendously in making more viewers aware of shows like “Call the Midwife” and “The Fall.” Next to “Doctor Who” and maybe “Sherlock,” it is the biggest international hit that Great Britain has to offer when it comes to TV.

This sixth season (which could be the last one) will be filming throughout the spring and summer. At present, we anticipate it premiering on the network come September.

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