Kate Middleton to visit 'Downton Abbey' set: Five shows we want her to guest star on

"Downton Abbey" is getting a royal visit. On Thursday, Kensington Palace announced that the Duchess of Cambridge will be visiting the set of the PBS drama next week.

The 33-year-old royal will visit London’s Ealing Studios on March 12 where she will meet the cast and crew and get to see where the interiors of the show are shot (exteriors are filmed at Highclere Castle in Berkshire).

Middleton and her husband are avid fans of "Downton Abbey," according to star Allen Leech, who plays Branson on the show. “I was actually at an event last week with Prince William, now the Duke of Cambridge,” he recently said on Watch What Happens Live. “I met him last week, shook his hand. He actually said, ‘I’m a big fan of the show.’”

The Prince’s wife’s affection for the scripted series comes as a bit of a surprise considering she is an established reality series fan. Some of her favourite shows reportedly include “The Apprentice,” “The X Factor,” “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “The Voice.”

So are there any plans to have Middleton make a guest appearance on “Downton”? Time will tell, but until then, here are five other shows we would love to see her in:

Homeland
Last year “Homeland” star Damien Lewis admitted that Prince William fanboyed all over him when he was given the Order of the British Empire. “He said, ‘Catherine and I are huge Homeland fans,” Lewis said. No question then, were Middleton to appear on the Showtime series, she would have to play the late Nicholas Brody’s secret wife (with child?!)!

Sherlock
A fourth series of the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring UK-set BBC series is already in the works, so why not have Middleton along for the ride? We would love her to play Sherlock’s romantic interest, particularly considering recent comments Cumberbatch has made about his character’s skills with women.

Game of Thrones
What better place for the wife of the heir to the throne than “Game of Thrones”?  The fifth season is set to start in April -- and wouldn’t it great if she were to play Lady Stoneheart? Fans of the show were quite upset when the character did not show up in season four and the show’s creators have left her future appearance up in the air.

The Americans
OK, so the third season is in full swing already, but wouldn’t it be cool if Middleton showed up as an undercover KGB officer or something? Obviously, her cover would be princess.

House of Cards
This series started out in the UK, so there is no doubt Middleton is aware of it. This one wouldn’t have to be too much of a stretch. She could simply play herself visiting the newly appointed President and First Lady.