Princess Kate and the King were mentioned at the opening ceremony of the Bafta awards last night as Prince William attended the event alone.
The Prince of Wales made a solo appearance for the celebrations on Sunday at the Royal Festival Hall in London as his wife recovered at home from her recent operation.
Opening the ceremony, Sara Putt, Bafta chair, welcomed the prince to the event.
Putt said: “I’m honoured to welcome Bafta’s President, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.
Princess Kate and the King were sent well-wishes during the Baftas last night
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“Thank you for being here tonight and for all your support helping Bafta deliver its mission.”
William was appointed the President of the British Academy of Film & Television Arts in 2010 and regularly attends the awards with his wife, Kate.
Putt then went on to mention Princess Kate and King Charles concerning their recent health issues.
She said: “May I take this moment to send Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales and His Majesty the King our very best wishes.”
Prince William talks with EE Rising Stars after the award ceremony
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At the event, the prince apologised to Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, for his “last minute” decision to attend the event amidst his family’s health concerns.
He mentioned that he had not watched many of the 38 films nominated at the awards due to the health of his wife.
William explained: “I’ve done the fewest I’ve ever done before, with my wife it’s been a bit - hopefully we’ll catch up. I’ll make my list tonight.”
Speaking on behalf of his wife, William said that Kate was sorry that she could not attend as usual stating: “She does love the Baftas.”
William and Kate attended the 2023 Baftas together
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Prince William and Cate Blanchett hugged before taking their seats next to each other
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Last year the princess attended the awards ceremony in a one-shoulder Alexander McQueen dress paired with black opera gloves and a black and silver trimmed clutch.
This year, the prince sat next to Cate Blanchett who stood up to hug William as they were seated and talked with him throughout the night.
The prince congratulated all the “good British films and good female directors” nominated at the Baftas last night.
Although he had not seen the Barbie film, he commented that there were “lots of opiniated fans outside” the venue.
But the prince was rooting for Oppenheimer to win an award last night as he is a “big fan of Christopher Nolan.”
