Princess Kate Narrowly Avoids Awkward Run-In With Andrew and His Grandkids on 'Harry Potter' Set
Kate Middleton recently took her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, for a visit to the new Harry Potter series set. What had been a magical escape for the Waleses nearly risked losing its charm when Prince Andrew turned up with his grandchildren for a surprise appearance of his own.
For Kate and the children, the evening was carefully orchestrated, and by all accounts, a resounding success. The new series is filming just a short distance from the family’s base in Windsor Great Park, and sources told the Daily Mail that the Princess ensured her children got a first-class Hogwarts experience. The young royals, on September 26, were welcomed by cast members and even introduced to the director during filming at Hogsmeade Station. Louis, in particular, seemed spellbound when he hopped aboard the Hogwarts Express, an experience that reportedly had him grinning from ear to ear. “He seemed to absolutely love it,” an insider shared, calling the visit a 'special' evening for the family.
But just as the Wales children were winding up their adventure, another family member, far more complicated and scandalous, wandered into the magical world. Andrew, who, given the latest controversies, shouldn't be seen anywhere around children, arrived on the set with his grandchildren. The disgraced Duke is a grandfather to four: Princess Eugenie’s sons, August and Ernest, and Princess Beatrice’s daughters, Sienna and baby Athena. As per reports, staff on the production weren’t expecting him, and one source admitted they were 'stunned' to see him there, especially days after such a huge scandal.
The two visits didn’t overlap, but had the schedules collided, the scene might have been more awkward than magical, especially after Andrew was recently brushed off by Prince William at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral. The surprise appearance came at an especially delicate moment for Andrew. His visit to the set came only days after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein made headlines again. This time, it wasn’t Andrew himself but his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who was caught in the spotlight after a 2011 email revealed she had privately apologized to Epstein after dissing him in public. In the email, she dubbed the disgraced financier a 'supreme friend.'
However, geography may explain part of the overlap as the set is located only a few minutes’ walk from Royal Lodge, where Andrew and Ferguson live. A source summed the scene neatly: “It was all a bit strange that he turned up, but it was lovely to see the children having a great time.” In other words, whatever else may have been going on in Andrew’s world, his grandchildren were at least treated to a dose of movie-set magic.