‘Flown the flag’ Maggie Smith's TV connection to Prince William and Kate Middleton

express.co.uk:

Royal Family now after she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for contributions to the Arts. But the Downton Abbey star, who plays Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the programme, appears to also have some royal fans.Downton Abbey was celebrated in 2015 with a special ceremony at Richmond Theatre ahead of the release of its last ever episode.The cast and crew were presented with an honorary BAFTA and Prince William led the speeches to commemorate the ITV drama.During his address, the Queen’s grandson said Downton is "one of Catherine's and my favourite programmes".He added: “When I first heard that Downton Abbey was to receive the BAFTA special award, I was absolutely thrilled.“As the president of BAFTA, I’m delighted that we are paying tribute to this extraordinary series that has flown the flag for British drama both at home and internationally."The same year, the Duchess of Cambridge got to tour the set of the hit programme, with the cast and crew welcoming such an unusual visit.Speaking about the Duchess, Laura Carmichael, who plays Edith, told E!: “It was lovely.“She's so normal.

I know everyone says that but she really does try to make everyone feel at ease."Earlier this year, fans of Downton Abbey were left unable to contain their emotions with the much-anticipated sequel film, Downton Abbey 2: A New Era.Some took to Twitter to share their review of the film, as they recounted being left in tears.MerviRyynanen tweeted: “We just watched Downton Abbey A New Era and felt like being back with old friends.“As we expected - absolutely loved it!“Such a feel-good film (a few tears too!).“Felt like the closing chapter of a beloved story.