Downton Abbey (2019)

In 1927, the Crawleys receive word that King George V and Queen Mary intend to visit Downton during their royal tour of Yorkshire, exciting both the family and the staff. As the servants begin preparations, Lady Mary feels that Barrow is ill-equipped to manage such an important event and thus recruits Carson to briefly exit retirement in order to assist, much to Barrow’s chagrin. When the boiler breaks down, a repairman shows up and seems to be flirting with Daisy, making Andy jealous. Shortly thereafter, members of the royal staff begin to arrive at Downton in advance of the King and Queen themselves. While Richard Ellis, the King’s valet, treats the Downton staff kindly, the rest of the entourage are arrogant and rude, making it clear that the royal staff intends to supplant that of Downton for the duration of the visit. In addition, small items keep disappearing from the house.

Bertie and Edith Pelham, Lord and Lady Hexham arrive the day before the royal couple is due to visit. Later that evening, chairs for the parade seating are delivered during heavy rain, and Lady Mary leads a messy group effort to position the chairs for the next day. The weather clears and the King and Queen arrive at Downton, where they are introduced to the Crawley family. Violet exchanges cold pleasantries with the Queen’s lady-in-waiting Maud, who is Robert’s first cousin once removed, and Tom meets her maid Lucy Smith. Violet begrudges Maud for her decision to bequeath her estate to Lucy rather than to Robert. Meanwhile, in the village, Tom encounters a mysterious man identifying himself as Major Chetwode, whom Tom initially believes is assessing security ahead of the royal visit and parade. Later, when the parade is set to begin, Chetwode prepares to assassinate the King in the staging area but is thwarted by Tom, whom he mistakenly believed was an ally because of their shared Irish origins, and Lady Mary, who disarms him after Tom pins him to the ground.