Princess Kate and Prince Andrew avoid awkward run in during 'Harry Potter' set visits

Princess Kate visited the Harry Potter set with her children shortly before Prince Andrew arrived with grandchildren

Princess Kate recently took Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to the set of HBO’s new Harry Potter series near their Windsor home, only narrowly avoiding an encounter with Prince Andrew, who visited the same location days later with his grandchildren.

The Wales family enjoyed a private tour of the Hogsmeade Station set, meeting cast members and the director during a one-night shoot. A source told the Daily Mail, “Kate and the children met the young actors and the director on the set. There was only one night of filming there so it really was a magical ticket.” Prince Louis even climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express, with an observer noting, “He seemed to absolutely love it.”

Their visit almost overlapped with Prince Andrew’s, which surprised production staff. “Staff working on the set were stunned to see him there,” a source said. Although it was not confirmed which of his grandchildren attended, Andrew is grandfather to Princess Eugenie’s sons, August and Ernest, and Princess Beatrice’s daughters, Sienna and Athena.

The Harry Potter set is located only metres from Royal Lodge, Andrew’s Windsor residence. While one source described his appearance as “a bit strange,” they also noted that it was positive to see the royal children enjoying themselves.

Andrew’s visit came just after renewed attention to his ties with Jeffrey Epstein, following the leak of a 2011 email from Sarah Ferguson apologising to Epstein for “publicly disowning him.”