By Oscar Holland, CNN
(CNN) — The Prince and Princess of Wales put on a color-coordinated show of unity at the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday, marking the second high-profile public appearance by senior royals since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Arriving in complementary outfits — the burgundy waistband of Kate’s Gucci gown perfectly matching the color of William’s velvet tuxedo jacket — the couple walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall for Britain’s equivalent to the Oscars.
The appearance comes just days after Mountbatten-Windsor, Prince William’s uncle, became the first member of the UK royal family to be arrested in modern history. The former Prince Andrew, who has denied all prior wrongdoing but has not commented on the latest claims, was released after spending more than 10 hours in police custody.
In footage from the red carpet, an attendee can be heard loudly asking whether the monarchy is “in peril,” though the royal couple swept past reporters without comment. Asked whether he had seen Best Film nominee “Hamnet” before taking their seats, William reportedly told two fellow guests, “I need to be in quite a calm state and I’m not at the moment,” according to multiple British news outlets, including public broadcaster the BBC.
While the Prince and Princess of Wales have not issued a statement on the arrest, a palace spokesperson said earlier this month that they were “deeply concerned by the continuing revelations” surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor’s ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Their attendance was not wholly unexpected — William currently serves as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) — but it was couple’s first time together at the annual ceremony since 2023 and Kate’s cancer diagnosis the year after.
On Thursday, King Charles III made a somewhat more surprising appearance at London Fashion Week, where he sat on the front row of British Nigerian designer Tolu Coker’s runway show just hours after his brother’s arrest. Earlier that day, the 77-year-old monarch released a statement pledging that the royal family “will continue in our duty and service to you all” amid the unfolding crisis.
The Waleses are not known for explicitly matching outfits, but they arrived in unusually complementary formalwear. On an evening that saw “One Battle After Another” pick up six awards, including Best Film, William riffed on the black-tie dress code in a dark red dinner jacket. Kate, meanwhile, opted for a floor-length, two-tone mauve gown that ruched at the waist above a velvet ribbon. She completed the look with a pair of earrings from the royal collection, gifted by the late Queen Mother to the then Princess Elizabeth upon her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.
The Princess of Wales’ outfit continued her long tradition of re-using dresses from earlier public appearances, having previously worn the Gucci gown to a London event in 2019.
During her last appearance at the BAFTAs in 2023 she sported the same Alexander McQueen gown she had worn to the ceremony four years prior (though the floral shoulder detailing had been replaced with draped white fabric). At the 2020 awards, she opted for an embroidered gold and white dress — also by Alexander McQueen — that she had first worn in 2012.
The-CNN-Wire
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