BAFTAs 2017: Kate Middleton, Prince William Made A Royal Splash

New Delhi: There was cinematic royalty at this year's British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, and there was royalty of an entirely different sort - an heir to the British throne showed up, with consort. Prince William and Kate Middleton met and interacted with BAFTA representatives on Sunday night, before taking their seats in the Royal Albert Hall in London. Kate Middleton, officially titled Duchess of Cambridge, looked lovely in a floral off-shoulder dress by favourite label Alexander McQueen. Her husband matched her in a tuxedo. Prince William has been President of British Academy of Film and Television Arts since February 2010, so their presence shouldn't really be surprising.

The official Twitter handle of Kensington Palace shared a short video of Kate and William arriving at the BAFTAs and wrote: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived."
 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived! Time for the #EEBAFTAs to get underway. pic.twitter.com/gO9nyyOOJT

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) February 12, 2017

Kate and William, seated in the front row, smiled for the cameras.
 Earlier, they walked the red carpet, accompanied by Amanda Berry, the CEO of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at the @RoyalAlbertHall to attend the #EEBAFTAs with @BAFTACEO Amanda Berry https://t.co/IbOUkJoCQc

— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 12, 2017

Prince William presented the Fellowship Award to celebrated director Mel Brooks, who is known for comic films like Spaceballs, High Anxiety, Silent Movie and Young Frankenstein.
 

 

HRH the Duke of Cambridge presents the Fellow Award to Mel Brooks . . #EEBAFTAs #BAFTAs #FilmAwards #HRH

A photo posted by BAFTA (@bafta) on Feb 12, 2017 at 3:12pm PST

Prince William and Kate Middleton rarely appear at high-profile showbiz events, although their visit to India last year did include a gala attended by film stars like Shah Rukh Khan. In 2012, they were spotted on the red carpet at the London premiere of director Steven Spielberg's film War Horse.

The BAFTAs top honours were won by the musical La La Land, which scored six awards including Best Film, Best Director for Damien Chazelle and Best Actress for Emma Stone. Viola Davis of Fences was named Best Supporting Actress while Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel received the Best Supporting Actor. La La Land star Ryan Gosling lost Best Actor to Casey Affleck for Manchester By The Sea.

The award season is heading to its grand finale with the Oscars at the end of this month. La La Land, which also won seven Golden Globes, is the clear favourite to win top prizes.