As we discussed, the Princess of Wales refused to support her patronage, England’s men’s and women’s rugby teams, over the weekend. England’s women’s team, the Red Roses, made it to the final of the Rugby World Cup, which had been played across England for the past month. The Red Roses defeated the Canadian women’s team in one of the biggest audiences for women’s rugby ever. Canada’s Prime Minister Carney even flew to England for the final. Kate refused to go, even though she was in Windsor with her family, and the final was in London. I actually wondered if Kate was too lazy to go to the final because she had decamped to Anmer Hall in Norfolk. But no, apparently not. She was in Windsor on Friday night, and we know that because Kensington Palace leaked a cutesy story about Kate taking the kids to a “Hogwarts Express” something-or-other which has been built close to Forest Lodge.
When the Hogwarts Express pulls up in your back garden, it would be rather rude for one not to hop aboard. So when Hogsmeade Station was built on Windsor Great Park, which is just a stone’s throw from Prince William and Kate Middleton’s new home, Forest Lodge, the couple ensured that their three children pop along to the set to watch the filming of the forthcoming Harry Potter television series.
On Friday night Kate took Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis for a spellbinding visit where they met the cast which includes Dominic McLaughlin, 11, who is portraying young wizard Harry, and watched some scenes be recorded in what would have been a magical evening for the young royals who are huge fans of the movies. And Prince Louis, seven, had an extra special magical time as he did hop on the Hogwarts Express for a short ride along the half a mile of track that has been erected there which runs through the woodland, about a mile to the rear of the Waleses’ new home.
One on set source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It was so special, Kate and the children met the young actors and the director on the set. There was only one night of filming there so it really was a magical ticket. And as for Louis, he got the chance to ride on the train with the driver. He seemed to absolutely love it. It’s the dream for most children to step aboard the Hogwarts Express.’
Earlier in the week Kate and William took the children to have a look at the £4million set which was built in Windsor, Berkshire, to replicate the Scottish Highlands where Harry Potter creator JK Rowling set her series of books. It is understood that they were then invited to return to watch live filming on Friday.
Notice the wording around who actually went to watch the filming on Friday – it sounds like it was just Kate and the kids, with no William. Which would make sense, because William was probably still in Scotland. Despite the narrative that William was in endless future-planning meetings with his father, Tom Sykes reported that “Charles and William are staying eight miles apart — and that William has spent much of his time shooting grouse with friends, while his father, who no longer shoots, has kept to other pursuits.” So Kate has been alone with the kids in Windsor since last Tuesday, and she took the kids to whatever Harry Potter thing this is, and then she skipped the Rugby World Cup final the next day, Saturday. Wow. Just lazy as hell. She was like “one public event in a week is fine, it’s not like Harry was in town.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace.
