Prince William and Duchess Kate made a glamorous appearance at the BAFTA Awards on Sunday, adding a royal touch to the star-studded ceremony. The duo stunned on the red carpet—especially Kate in her flowy white Alexander McQueen gown—but once they entered the show inside London's Royal Albert Hall, things quieted down quickly.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's entrance was announced by an MC and the crowd rose to greet the couple as they entered the room, according to a video shared by Royal Family Channel above. But aside from the snapping of the photographers' cameras, the venue was dead quiet as the duo walked down the stairs and approached their seats in the front row.
Some guests smiled at the couple (like The Crown's Claire Foy, who played William's grandmother, the Queen, on screen), and some pulled out their phones to snap pictures, but no one really made a sound.
Kate commented on the silence once she reached her chair. "It's so quiet!" she whispered with a laugh to a woman standing a couple of rows behind her. William appeared to make a comment, too.
The quietness was likely a display of royal decorum, as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were similarly greeted by a standing but quiet audience at their gala performance today.
Things picked back up at the BAFTAs once the Cambridges took their seats and the rest of the crowd followed. William and Kate appeared to continue chuckling about the awkward silence once the program resumed. Fans on Twitter also pointed out the lack of noise.
Once the ceremony was over, Prince William (who is president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and Duchess Kate got to meet some of the nominees and winners, including Olivia Colman of The Favourite (who'll also play the Queen in upcoming season of The Crown), Bradley Cooper, the cast of Roma, and more.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
