‘Downton Abbey’ Fans: The Movie’s Plot Has Been Revealed, and There’s Going to Be a Royal Surprise

Even before Prince Harry, Prince William, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, the English royals were huge celebs…and now we’ve just learned that the Downton Abbey movie is going to bring Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather to life for a visit to the Grantham estate.

The Crawleys are gearing up to grace the big screens this fall, and Variety just revealed that the movie trailer was shown to a select group of journalists at CinemaCon. Here are the plot details:

In 1927, King George V and Queen Mary (aka Queen Elizabeth’s grandparents) are visiting Downton Abbey. Except, times are tough, and the Crawley clan has cut back on staff and servants. In order to prep for the royal family arrival, Lord Grantham has asked Mr. Carson to return from retirement to help out the family and get the Abbey in tip-top shape just as the world seems to be bordering on disarray. 

“The Depression looms, a World War has ended. Lady Mary Crawley is toying with leaving the estate for a new life. Anna Bates, Lady Mary’s loyal maid, reminds her of the role that Downton plays in the small English village.

“‘Downton Abbey is the heart of this community and you’re keeping it beating,’ she reminds Mary,” Variety reports. We’re gonna need a minute.

Directed by Michael Engler and written by Julian Fellowes (who created the TV show), the movie will see the return of Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode), Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lady Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt), John Bates (Brendan Coyle), the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and more. The movie is set to premiere on September 20, 2019.

In the trailer shown at CinemaCon, the tagline “We’ve been expecting you,” is front and center, as well as on the four posters that were released last month. The first teaser trailer, released in December, shows groups of townspeople lined up along streets and waving little Union Jack flags…and now the royal visit all makes sense.