The Princess of Wales has revealed how she’s navigating ‘hard conversations’ with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Kate, 44, put on a glamorous display at the EE BAFTA Film Awards with her husband, Prince William, on Sunday night, in their first joint public appearance since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
The royal couple chatted to representatives from Bafta and the Southbank Centre before taking their seats in the star-studded Royal Festival Hall for the awards ceremony.
During one conversation, Kate told Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, and Allison Kirkby, chief executive of BT Group, that ‘the children are getting into film a bit more’.
‘It’s a really great way to have some of the hard conversations with them,’ the royal, who wore a pink floor-length Gucci gown, which she first debuted in 2019, added.
‘We have still got a long list of films we haven’t seen,’ she went on. ‘Hopefully this will help.’
Elsewhere, Kate told the chairwoman of Bafta’s film committee, Emily Stillman, that her children, George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven, would love to have a closer look into the Bafta film world.
‘They love the idea of being behind the scenes and finding out how it all happens,’ she said.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales, who is president of the arts charity, said he is ‘not in a calm state’ to watch Hamnet after months of turmoil around his wife’s cancer and his uncle’s recent arrest on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
It appeared that issues around the former Duke of York weren’t far from William’s mind as he he admitted he had not yet watched the best picture nominee because he needed to be in a calm mood.
Speaking on the carpet before the star-studded event, he said: ‘I need to be in quite a calm state and I am not at the moment. I will save it.’
But Kate, he said, had watched the hugely emotional film on Saturday night and was left in ‘floods of tears’.
Hamnet tells the story of the tragic death in childhood of Shakespeare’s son and the grief of his parents.
‘I thought it was a bad idea, actually,’ the princess joked of watching the film before the ceremony. ‘Ended up with very puffy eyes. It was so beautifully shot. The music as well. The score is fantastic.’
The royal couple were joined by stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Glenn Close and Ethan Hawke on the red carpet before the black-tie ceremony hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.
Towards the end of the show, William presented the Bafta fellowship award to NBCUniversal’s chair of entertainment, Dame Donna Langley, for her outstanding contribution to film and television.
He said: ‘Her transformative leadership and unwavering commitment to creative partnership have brought some of this century’s most iconic films to the big screen and to audiences around the world.
‘She has championed films that have shaped culture, and is responsible for some of our most beloved franchises.’
Dame Donna, who grew up on the Isle of Wight, is the first British woman to run a major Hollywood studio and has been credited with championing films including Straight Outta Compton, Bridesmaids, Get Out, The Holdovers, and Bafta best film winner Oppenheimer.
She was sat next to Kate during the ceremony, and got a standing ovation as she went on to stage to receive her award.
The public engagement comes amid a tense time for the Royal Family following Andrew’s arrest.
King Charles issued an unprecedented statement confirming his ‘wholehearted support and co-operation’ with the investigation into Andrew just hours after the ex Prince was detained on Thursday – with Buckingham Palace understood not to have known the former Duke of York would be arrested.
The King’s statement added: ‘I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.
‘What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.
‘Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.’
William and Kate are understood to support the King’s statement.
King Charles has said he will grant police access to all files and records necessary for any investigations into his disgraced brother.
The arrest came after Thames Valley Police said it was ‘assessing’ reports that Andrew shared confidential trade reports and investment opportunities to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2010 and 2011 when he was the UK’s special trade envoy in Asia.
Andrew was questioned for 11 hours straight following his arrest and was pictured slumped in a Range Rover on his way out of Aylsham Police Investigation Centre.
He was taken from Wood Farm on the royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk where he was placed after he was evicted from his Windsor residence Royal Lodge by King Charles earlier this month.
