Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (aka Kate Middleton) and Prince Harry visited the Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden Friday to inaugurate the facility and announce a new film and television scholarship program.
The studio has been in business in the UK for many years and all 8 of the Harry Potter films were shot there. Warner purchased the facility outright in 2010 and invested £100M/$155M in its expansion. The royal visit marked its official opening.
The Leavesden Studio also houses "The Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making Of Harry Potter," a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movies that’s located next to the main lot.
Kate wore a £38/$75 polka dot dress from TopShop, a Ralph Lauren blazer and Episode Angel suede black pumps.
Kate, now in her sixth month of pregnancy, was glowing.
ROYAL BABY BUMP ALERT.
At the start of the tour, the royals were given a history of the facility and shown props from the Batman films. Prince Harry and Prince William were clearly fans of the movies.
"Christian Bale's getting old and tired," William said as he examined the actor's Batman suit. "I will stand in if I have to."
The princes explored the "Tumbler" (also known as the "Batmobile"), a vehicle used in the Batman films. Upon seeing the Batmobile, William turned to Harry and said, "We should borrow that for the weekend."
"You don't do baby seats for these cars, do you, by any chance?" William quipped as he climbed into the Batmobile.
William appeared to particularly enjoy the Batpod, Batman's super motorcycle.
#royal #Kate #William calls the bike "awesome" http://t.co/s9pge2W4Hi
#royal #Kate #William calls the bike "awesome" http://t.co/s9pge2W4Hi-- Paul Harrison
"You need bat ears!" Prince Harry gestured to his older brother.
#royal more of #William on his new toy - #Harry does batman ears! http://t.co/KNaJ3GQUXk
#royal more of #William on his new toy - #Harry does batman ears! http://t.co/KNaJ3GQUXk-- Paul Harrison
As the royals entered the world of Harry Potter, author J.K. Rowling was on hand to greet them.
We were also delighted to welcome @jk_rowling to the Great Hall here at the Studio Tour today #RoyalVisitHogwarts http://t.co/zZkuXs36jw
We were also delighted to welcome @jk_rowling to the Great Hall here at the Studio Tour today #RoyalVisitHogwarts http://t.co/zZkuXs36jw-- WarnerBrosStudioTour
Kate in particular seemed very eager to talk to the author. William had earlier confessed that he had seen all the Harry Potter movies but not read the books, while Kate had done both.
William delivered a brief speech praising the U.K.'s film legacy and J.K. Rowling's "inspirational" books.
William: "I'm over the moon just to have seen the real Batmobile and Batpod. On the other hand, Harry's just excited to see a real life talking owl... I haven't told him yet that Harry Potter is fictional, so please keep the secret for a little longer."
After the studio was officially declared open for business, it was time for the royals to enter the GREAT HALL OF HOGWARTS.
Welcome to Hogwarts @ClarenceHouse! #RoyalVisitHogwarts http://t.co/ajTwj0hiS5
Welcome to Hogwarts @ClarenceHouse! #RoyalVisitHogwarts http://t.co/ajTwj0hiS5-- WarnerBrosStudioTour
The royals were accompanied by 500 children and adults from charities they support.
Kate checked out Hagrid's costume.
When they reached the Gryffindor Common Room, William and Kate dueled!
They both made some amazing faces.
Seriously, just watch it for yourself.
View this video on YouTube
While the Duke and Duchess dueled, Harry communed with his fellow gingers at the Burrow, home of the red-headed Weasley family. One of the guides remarked that they'd had to have made the Burrow taller if the prince had been in the film.
William and Harry tried out the flying Ford Anglia from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
The Duke and Prince Harry got behind the wheel of Mr Weasley's flying Ford Anglia #RoyalVisitHogwarts http://t.co/lDz1VFWyom
The Duke and Prince Harry got behind the wheel of Mr Weasley's flying Ford Anglia #RoyalVisitHogwarts http://t.co/lDz1VFWyom-- WarnerBrosStudioTour
Finally, the royal trio visited Diagon Alley.
At the end of the tour, the royals were presented with their own hand-carved wands.
William, Kate and Harry stayed at the studios for an hour longer than scheduled (seemingly because they were having so much fun) and had to dash off to another royal engagement.
“They are clearly fans of Harry Potter, which is nice to see," said tour guide Shelley Hazell. "They were asking lots of questions and seemed to be really interested. It was great.”
