Prince William gets to wear many hats in his role in the royal family. Among them is serving as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Last night, the stars gathered at Royal Albert Hall for the BAFTA Awards. William was in attendance, with Kate Middleton on his arm. The evening featured a lot of interesting twists and turns and showed the softer side of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
This year, sustainable fashion was at the forefront of the evening. Attendees were provided with a guide by the London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainability for how to make better fashion choices as they strived for a carbon-neutral ceremony for the first time ever. William and Kate obliged, with William wearing a tuxedo he already owned. Kate donned a white and gold Alexander McQueen gown that she previously wore on a 2012 visit to Malaysia.
William and Kate dazzled as they met with stars. They also were good sports during the moments in which some celebrities poked fun at them. William even showed off his own sense of humor, cracking a joke about The Crown during his speech.
Among his many titles, Prince William is president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. On Sunday night, the stars gathered to celebrate achievements in film and television, and William and Kate were there for the occasion. They gathered with celebrities at Royal Albert Hall.
William and Kate kept with the evening's sustainable fashion efforts and wore outfits we've already seen them in. William looked sharp in a classic tuxedo. Kate shined in a white and gold Alexander McQueen gown that she wore on a 2012 visit to Malaysia.
Some celebrities were bold enough to crack jokes about the monarchy throughout the night. Margot Robbie, who accepted the award for best supporting actor on Brad Pitt's behalf, was the first to crack a joke while reading Brad's acceptance speech.
"He is going to name this [award] Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him," she said as the camera panned to William and Kate, who awkwardly laughed along with the audience. "His words, not mine, thanks!" she added.
Later, it was Rebel Wilson's turn to joke about the recent shakeups in the royal family. "Good evening distinguished guests, and those who don't identify as that," she said as she presented the award for best director.
"It is really great to be here at the royal Andrew, uh, royal Harry, no, royal Philip … this royal palace place," she added before getting back to the matter at hand.
Jojo Rabbit director Taika Waititi, who is from New Zealand, made some comments to the press after winning the award for best adapted screenplay. He noted it was "very cool" to win the award "coming from the colonies."
"We know it's been a hard week for you guys," he said. "It's very nice to take a bit of your gold back home, where it belongs."
Later, he was asked if he would mention those subjects when meeting Prince William. He backtracked a bit. "Am I going to meet him? Will I?" he responded. "Ummm, no I'm not going to bring that up. It wasn't him. We'll see how that goes. I'm not here as an ambassador for New Zealand. I'm doing my own thing."
William showed off his own sense of humor in his speech. He gave the speech before introducing Daisy Ridley and John Boyega of Star Wars to present a special award to Kathleen Kennedy.
"Good evening, everybody. Catherine and I are once again really delighted to join you this evening," he began. "Tonight we celebrate another year of exceptional filmmaking, and I’m thrilled that all those involved have been recognized."
"I am particularly proud to stand here tonight having served as BAFTA’s president for the last 10 years," he continued. "However, I must admit I don’t know whether I should be proud, or slightly alarmed, about the number of winners over the last decade who have portrayed members of my own family."
The joke, referencing The Crown, surprised and delighted many in the audience.
"Both here in the UK and in many other countries across the world we are lucky to have incredible filmmakers, actors, producers, directors, and technicians — men and women from all backgrounds and ethnicities enriching our lives through film," he noted.
"Yet in 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process – that simply cannot be right in this day and age! I know that both Pippa, chair of BAFTA, and Amanda, BAFTA CEO, share that frustration and continue to work tirelessly to ensure that creative talent is discovered and supported."
"BAFTA take this issue seriously, and following this year’s nominations, have launched a full and thorough review of the entire awards process to build on their existing work and ensure that opportunities are available to everyone," he revealed.
Then, he went on to honoring Kathleen Kennedy: "One of the great privileges I have as president is to present the Fellowship – the highest honor the academy can bestow. This year the award goes to a simply legendary figure in film. Someone whose films I have been watching all my life, and continue to watch time and time again. I couldn’t be happier she is receiving this award."
William and Kate would later head backstage to congratulate the winners. William got the chance to meet Joaquin Phoenix and compliment his performance in Joker.
"Lovely to meet you," William said, "I absolutely loved the Joker. It was brilliant. I put it off and put it off before watching it, as people kept telling me 'be careful when you choose to watch it.' I'm glad I didn't watch it before bed, but huge congratulations on an amazing performance."
Kate also got some time to chat with Renée Zellweger for her best actress win for Judy. Kate asked her if she had some time off from filming. When Renée said she hadn't because she was working on several projects, Kate asked her how she's liking being back in the UK. "I love it!" Renée gushed.
William and Kate also chatted with Rising Star award recipient Micheal Ward. William joked about how many films they had to watch ahead of the show. "Having children is so bad for watching films!" Kate joked.
It seemed like William and Kate had an excellent time mixing and mingling with the stars at the BAFTAs. Celebrities also seemed to be at ease and enjoy chatting with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Most importantly, it seems that the night's message encouraging diversity and environmental awareness truly resonated with the attendees.
