When King Charles addressed — with “deepest concern” — the news that his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had been arrested last week, he made two pledges: to let the law take its course, and that the Royal Family would continue in “duty and service” in the meantime.
Cue Prince William and Kate Middleton, doing their bit to keep The Firm running business as usual by attending last night’s BAFTAs in London.
It’s been three years since the couple last walked this red carpet together. (William, who’s this British equivalent to the Oscars’ patron, has attended solo in the interim.)
Princess Catherine re-wore a Gucci gown for the occasion, which was first seen in 2019, breaking a streak of McQueen gowns worn to this event. She accessorized with jewels pulled from the royal vault: chandelier earrings that were a favourite of the late queen and an art-deco Cartier bracelet that belonged to Queen Mary.
Prince William, in maroon velvet, subtly colour-coordinated with the blush tones in Kate’s chiffon gown. It was a display of sartorial unity that feels meaningful: It’s their first joint appearance since news broke about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
The night was all about celebrating British film, and to nobody’s surprise, the couple made no reference to the fact that a member of the Royal Family is potentially facing charges of misconduct that can carry a lifetime in jail.
At the ceremony, the prince and princess were seen chatting with nominees. In a receiving line, Kate was filmed talking about the movie “Hamnet,” the Chloe Zhao-directed adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel about the death of Shakespeare’s son.
“It was a very bad idea. I thought I was going to end up with very puffy eyes today,” said Kate, apparently referring to watching the film the prior night.
It would seem that Kate squeezed in watching “Hamnet” after returning from an appearance at a Six Nations rugby match. At the game in her role as royal patron for the England side, it was her first public appearance since the royal arrest last week.
William — who outed Kate for being “in floods of tears” — said that he just couldn’t watch it all. Perhaps tellingly, he said: “I need to be in quite a calm state, and I am not at the moment.”
Prince William’s uncle the former prince Andrew was arrested last Thursday, and while he was released the same day, police are continuing to investigate him for suspected misconduct in public office. This is believed to be related to privileged information that he shared with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein while working as a trade envoy for the U.K.
Since Andrew’s arrest, politicians in the U.K. have begun to call for his removal from the line of succession. In order to remove Andrew, who’s currently eighth in line, British Parliament would need the agreement of all of the countries who have King Charles as their monarch. On Monday, the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was the first to say that he would back this effort.
In other Epstein fallout news, on Monday, British police arrested former U.K. ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson over claims he, too, passed sensitive government information to Epstein more than 10 years ago.
