Kensington Palace has confirmed that Prince William and Kate Middleton will attend the BAFTA awards on Feb. 19 after skipping the ceremony for two consecutive years.
William, the president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, hasn’t attended the film awards since 2020.
William and Kate understandably missed the April 2021 ceremony due to the death of Prince Philip the day before. Last year, however, they were also absent from the ceremony. A BAFTA spokesperson told Variety at the time that this was due to “diary constraints.”
The couple’s absence is normally conspicuous as they tend to occupy the front-row ground level seats at Royal Albert Hall. Their attendance usually adds an extra layer of logistical considerations and, some might argue, glamour to the festivities.
At this year’s awards — which have relocated from Royal Albert Hall to the Royal Festival Hall in Southbank — the Prince and Princess of Wales, as they are now called, will watch the ceremony, and then go backstage to meet with the winners and the EE Rising Star Award nominees.
Variety understands that the couple’s attendance at the awards has only been confirmed in recent days.
A strict royal rota is likely to be in place, meaning William and Kate will only engage with a select group of journalists on the ground.
The couple have made a number of public appearances in the new year, but they have yet to address any of Prince Harry’s bombshell accusations in his memoir “Spare,” which was published in early January.
In the book, the Duke of Sussex claims that William physically attacked him and knocked him to the floor following a confrontation about Markle.
The BAFTAs will take place at Royal Festival Hall on Feb. 19.