Princess Kate Middleton tastes a little bit of magic through her HBO's Harry Potter series set visit

Harry Potter met royal curiosity in Windsor on September 26, 2025, when the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, made a quiet visit to the set of HBO’s Harry Potter with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The unit had created a Hogsmeade Station built in Windsor Great Park for night filming, and the children were introduced to director Mark Mylod and the young trio leads. Reports say Prince Louis rode the Hogwarts Express for a brief spin. Coverage differs on whether Prince William was physically present.

As per the People report dated September 28, 2025, he was in Scotland visiting King Charles while Catherine organized the evening, while trade outlets framed it as a family visit. The project, widely referred to as HBO’s Harry Potter, adapts one book per season and is filmed around the U.K. The Princess of Wales is a long-standing arts patron and a leader on Early Years advocacy, which adds context to a private visit that was focused on the children’s experience of television production as much as the magic of Harry Potter.

When and where did Princess Kate visit the HBO Harry Potter set

The visit took place on Friday, September 26, 2025, during night filming on a Hogsmeade Station set assembled inside Windsor Great Park. Reporting places the build near the Wales family’s Windsor base. The children met the show’s leads and director Mark Mylod during the limited on-set access. A source characterization in multiple reports described the night as “magical,” and Prince Louis was said to have taken a short ride on the Hogwarts Express element.

Multiple sources attribute the logistics to Catherine, noting that the Prince of Wales was in Scotland with King Charles that weekend. Harry Potter fans will recognize Windsor Great Park as a plausible exterior base build for rail scenes, which is consistent with the production’s U.K. footprint and unit activity this month.

Who did they meet, and what actually happened on set

Coverage identifies the trio leads as Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, with Mark Mylod as director and executive producer.

Reports say the children met the cast and creative, watched unit work, and that Prince Louis rode the Hogwarts Express prop. No palace statement or official images were released at the time of publication.

Why this matters: Royal Potter history and the show’s rollout

The Wales family has prior Harry Potter links. In 2013, William, Catherine, and Prince Harry toured the Leavesden sets during a public engagement, and royal relatives have spoken about reading Harry Potter with their grandchildren. As per the People report dated January 8, 2024, Queen Camilla said,

“I think the one I enjoyed reading more than anything else was Harry Potter.”

For the series itself, HBO’s Harry Potter is built as a long-form, book-per-season adaptation. As per the official HarryPotter.com report dated April 12, 2023, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, Casey Bloys, said,

“Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.”

Showrunner Francesca Gardiner outlined the creative aim to “really dig into the character arcs,” while director Mark Mylod said the intent was not to “undo what was done so brilliantly.” Both remarks came during a London presentation that also previewed production plans before filming. The production is underway at U.K. locations, with an early 2027 premiere window widely reported.

Stay tuned for more updates.