The awards, hosted by Alan Cumming, were the first joint engagement for William and Kate since William’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Of course it wasn’t just a casual night out, Prince William has been the president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since 2010, and was on hand to present the BAFTA Fellowship at the event.
Princess Kate looked at home among the event’s Hollywood stars in a floor-sweeping blush Gucci gown, paired with Greville chandelier earrings and a diamond cuff bracelet. The diamond earrings were created by Cartier and bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by Dame Margaret Greville in 1942.
Prince William chose to match his wife for the occasion, wearing a grape-coloured velvet jacket with his tuxedo.
Proving ever-savvy with her wardrobe, the Princess has worn this particular Gucci dress once before, to a ‘Women in Finance’ dinner in 2019. However given blush and berry tones are everywhere on fashion runways right now, the Alessandro Michele-era Gucci piece is a savvy choice to spotlight once again.
While the royal couple looked to be enjoying the event, there was perhaps some hint of the week’s challenges in a remark from Prince William to press prior to the event.
In explaining why he has not watched one of this award season’s most emotional films, the Prince shared that he was not in a ‘calm state’ needed to process the film Hamnet, according to the Daily Mail.
The film, which won the award for Outstanding British Film, tells the story of the tragic death in childhood of Shakespeare’s son and the grief of his parents.
“I need to be in quite a calm state and I am not at the moment. I will save it,” William said on the red carpet, though he revealed wife had seen it, leaving her in ‘floods of tears.’
Later in the evening Kate shared that the couple’s three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — are of the age where films are piquing their curiosity.
“The children are starting to get interested in films,” she said, per the Daily Mail, “and it’s a really great way to have some of the hard conversations with them.”
Read more: See all the fashion on the BAFTAS red carpet
