Filming for the next season of Netflix’s hit series “The Crown” is officially underway.
On Friday, a few lucky viewers caught the made-for-broadcast versions of Prince William and Kate Middleton in the early stages of their headline-grabbing royal romance.
Newcomer actors Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy, who play William and Kate respectively, were spotted at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, filming scenes of what appeared to be the beginning of their relationship.
The royal couple met at university as students in 2001. They announced their engagement in November 2010 and married at Westminster Abbey the following April.
Today they share three children: Prince George of Wales, 9, Princess Charlotte of Wales, 7, and Prince Louis of Wales, 4.
Images and videos of the actors playing the future Prince and Princess of Wales were shared on social media by students at St. Andrews and quickly went viral.
A clip of the action shared by TikTok user Ramsay Bader had more than 1.1 million views as of Friday afternoon.
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“The casting directors hit the nail on the head,” Bader captioned the post..
Another clip, shared by user Shark Bateman, has been viewed more than 5.7 million times.
“’The Crown’ is being filmed at your university and the students are having a lot of fun with it,” they wrote.
The multi-Emmy award-winning series chronicles the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.
In the first two seasons, Claire Foy played a young Princess Elizabeth who ascended the throne in 1952 and became a monarch. Olivia Colman took over the role in seasons three and four, which took place in the time period between 1964 and 1990.
Imelda Staunton was cast as Elizabeth in the fifth season, which premiered in November and focused on much of the 1990s. The sixth season, expected to be the show’s last, covers the queen’s reign until the XXI century.
He casting of Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy it was revealed by Deadline last year and marks his on-screen debut. Teenage actor Rufus Kampa was selected to play Prince William at the age of 15.