A true royal is expected to join the Downton Abbey cast as an extra in the next season
Queen Elizabeth's second cousin twice removed, Flora Ogilvy, will join this year's Downton Abbey as the first genuine royal cast member.
The 18-year-old granddaughter of Princess Alexandra of Kent and 45th in line to the throne will play an extra in series 4, though it has not yet been confirmed if she will play a servant or an aristocrat in the period drama.
The show has been known to attract royal attention in the past, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge admitting they were 'huge fans' of the show in 2011, sparking recent speculation that the royal baby name would be inspired by the ITV show.
A Downton Abbey insider told the Daily Express: ‘There’s a lot of excitement among the royals and they will almost certainly be watching the new series now.'
Flora, who is currently enjoying a gap year from studying, hopes to attend St Andrew's University in September, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge first met.
A source close to Flora said: ‘It will be a really exciting time for her to be starting uni and have her TV debut within weeks of each other.
'She really wants to do more acting so she’s hoping her part in Downton makes a big impression.’
Downton Abbey fans have been told to expect nine new characters in the new series.
Series 4, which is currently being filmed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, will pick up from Christmas Day's cliffhanger where Matthew Crawley was involved in a fatal car crash. Block out your diaries...
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