It was a dazzling night out for the Prince and Princess of Wales as they attended the BAFTAs last night in London – and a lip reader has claimed to reveal what they were talking about.
Prince William, 43, and Kate Middleton, 44, stepped out onto the red carpet at the Royal Festival Hall to celebrate the best of British film and TV at the annual awards ceremony (22 February).
Kate looked stunning in a princess-style Gucci gown, while her husband donned a burgundy maroon tuxedo for the outing.
The royal couple posed for red carpet snaps and chatted to representatives from BAFTA and the Southbank Centre before taking their seats in the star-studded auditorium for the awards ceremony.
While on the red carpet, the couple whispered a few words to each other, and a lip reader claims to have decoded the moment, according to The Mirror.
Lip reader Jeremy Freeman told the publication that Kate allegedly said to her husband: “Look at the people!” before eagerly waving at them and saying: “Hey!”
William then apparently told Kate to ‘watch your step’ as they made their way inside for the ceremony.
The royal couple also chatted about movies, as William admitted he’s yet to see Hamnet, which won big, bagging best outstanding British film, while its Irish star Jessie Buckley won best actress for her performance as Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes Hathaway.
William told Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, and Allison Kirkby, chief executive of BT Group, that he had yet to see the acclaimed film as he’s not ‘calm’ enough right now.
He said: “I need to be in quite a calm state and I’m not at the moment. I will save it.”
While Kate said she saw the movie on Saturday (21 February), dubbing it as ‘really very very powerful’, while praising the ‘fantastic’ and ‘raw’ music score and talked about its portrayal of ‘intergenerational grief’.
Chatting with the chairwoman of BAFTA’s film committee, Emily Stillman, and executive director of the charity’s awards and content, Emma Baehr, the princess said: “Yes, I think it was a very bad idea actually… ended up with very puffy eyes.”
Kate also said her three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, would love to have a closer look at the BAFTA film world.
She said: “They love the idea of being behind the scenes and finding out how it all happens,” adding 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. We have still got a long list of films we haven’t seen. Hopefully, this will help,” Kate added.
And towards the end of the show, William got on stage to present 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.”
BAFTA 2026 winners
Best film
Winner: One Battle After Another
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Outstanding British film
Winner: Hamnet
28 Years Later
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy
Die My Love
H Is For Hawk
I Swear
Mr Burton
Pillion
Steve
Leading actress
Winner: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue)
Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)
Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
Emma Stone (Bugonia)
Leading actor
Winner: Robert Aramayo (I Swear)
Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
Michael B Jordan (Sinners)
Jesse Plemons (Bugonia)
Supporting actress
Winner: Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners)
Odessa A’zion (Marty Supreme)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value)
Carey Mulligan (The Ballad of Wallis Island)
Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)
Emily Watson (Hamnet)
Supporting actor
Winner: Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another)
Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
Paul Mescal (Hamnet)
Peter Mullan (I Swear)
Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)
