Windsor royals visit Hogwarts Express set near home as filming begins for new Harry Potter series

William and Kate accompanied Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to a Windsor Great Park set built for a forthcoming Harry Potter television series, located just a stone’s throw from the couple’s home at Forest Lodge. The royal visit occurred on Friday night as filming resumed on site, with Kate and the children meeting the cast and observing scenes being recorded.

The Hogsmeade Station sits along a half-mile track carved through woodland near the Waleses’ Windsor residence. Prince Louis, seven, rode the Hogwarts Express with the train’s driver, while Kate and the two older children spoke with members of the cast and the director during the evening’s work on the set. A on-set source described the moment as magical for the children, noting that Louis appeared thrilled to ride the train.

Earlier in the week, the couple had been shown the £4 million set built to replicate the Scottish Highlands depicted in the Harry Potter canon. The production team invited the Waleses to return for live filming on Friday, as the project advances toward its planned premiere. The cast for the series is set to include Dominic McLaughlin, 11, as a young Harry, with Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, stepping into roles previously portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint respectively. The project is described as a television expansion of the franchise, with a 2027 premiere window.

Prince Andrew visited the Windsor set last week with some of his grandchildren, an appearance that drew immediate attention given the ongoing scrutiny surrounding the royal figure. A source near the production said his presence was unusual but noted that the children enjoyed the visit and that the Hogwarts Express remained a highlight on the night of filming. The set lies just metres from Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge home, and staff recalled that the moment added an extra layer of intrigue to a night already described as memorable for the young royals.

Windsor Great Park has a storied connection to the Harry Potter filming footprint, including earlier shoots for the final chapters of the film series. The broader project, announced as a forthcoming Harry Potter television series, carries forward the world created by JK Rowling and is expected to draw significant attention from fans around the globe. In related royal-family coverage, Queen Consort Camilla once recalled that King Charles reads Harry Potter aloud to his grandchildren, sometimes providing all the voices, a detail often cited in discussions of the family’s engagement with the franchise.

As production progresses toward its 2027 debut, the Windsor set remains a focal point for fans eager to glimpse how the beloved world of Hogwarts will be reimagined for television. The on-site activity underscores the collaboration between the production and the local community, with the park serving as a vivid backdrop for the evolving story that extends beyond the films themselves.