Prince William made a virtual
appearance at the 2022 BAFTA awards ceremony on Sunday
night, after not being able to attend in person. The
Duke of Cambridge, who usually attends the biggest night in British film with
his wife Kate, gave a televised address to
attendees at the Royal Albert Hall and viewers tuning in from home.
“Good evening everyone,” William said at the start of his
speech. “As President of BAFTA, I am extremely proud to see the work that
BAFTA undertakes year-round to provide opportunities and support for talented
people to develop successful careers in film, games and television.”
He continued: “One of these programmes is Breakthrough, a year-long
mentoring and guidance initiative which helps people achieve their true
potential. It’s wonderful that there are more than thirty participants from
Breakthrough UK in the audience this evening. Two of them, Aleem Khan and
Jessie Buckley, are nominated for awards tonight. They join an impressive list
of young talent, including Bukky Bakray and Florence Pugh, as well as Paapa
Essiedu and Ray Panthaki who are closely involved with BAFTA-nominated films.
“BAFTA hopes to inspire and support future generations from all
walks of life to become the filmmakers of the future. And I hope that for some
of those watching these awards, that journey starts today.”
William concluded: “Congratulations to all the nominees and
winners. I wish you all a wonderful evening.” The future King usually
attends the ceremony and walks the red carpet with Kate but this year the
couple sadly had to decline their invite due to “diary constraints”.
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William made a virtual appearance at the 2022 ceremony
Last year during the 2021 virtual ceremony, William was due to record a
video speech but was also forced to pull out after his grandfather Prince
Philip suddenly passed away. It was the first time William had missed the
prestigious ceremony since his appointment as president of the British Academy
of Film & Television Arts in 2010.
Rebel Wilson hosted this year’s ceremony and earlier on Sunday descended
on the red carpet alongside other glamorous A-Listers including Emma Watson,
Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Salma Hayek.
