Prince William and Kate Middleton made an appearance this afternoon at the BAFTA Film Awards, marking their first joint public showing since the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The pair arrived right at the end of the BAFTA red carpet. Their attendance was not confirmed by BAFTA or Kensington Palace before the event, which is unusual. The Palace usually confirms whether royal visitors plan to skip or attend.
Prince William and Kate Middleton skipped last year’s ceremony. William made an in-person appearance at the 2024 gala by himself shortly after it was announced that Middleton had undergone surgery, before revealing she was undergoing cancer treatment the next month. It was in 2023 when Prince William and Middleton last attended the BAFTAs together.
The future king of England has been the president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since 2010, and has been a regular guest at the show. But it’s been an unprecedented week for Prince and the wider royal family, as his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. This is the first time a modern Royal has been arrested and represents a watershed moment.
Andrew’s association with the pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has dominated headlines for weeks, and BBC News reported that Thames Valley Police said they were assessing a complaint over the alleged sharing of confidential material by the former Prince with late sex offender Epstein.
King Charles III responded to the unprecedented arrest of his brother in a short statement.
“The law must take its course,” the King said in a statement. He added that he “learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.”
English (US) ·