Just touched down in London town! Joaquin Phoenix, Reneé Zellweger, Laura Dern and more A-list celebrities took the stage to accept top honors at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, February 2.
Prince William and Duchess Kate were among the stars in the audience at Royal Albert Hall in London. While Brad Pitt wasn’t there to accept the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood costar Margot Robbie stepped in to read his speech, which caught the attention of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“Hey, Britain! Heard you just became single. Welcome to the club,” Robbie read, referring to Brexit and Pitt’s divorce from Angelina Jolie. “Wishing you the best with the divorce settlement.”
She continued: “And he says, um, that he’s going to name this Harry. … ‘Cause, uh, he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him.”
William, 37, and Kate, 38, awkwardly smiled and clapped at the joke, which referred to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back from the British royal family to spend more time in Canada with their 8-month-old son, Archie. According to sources, William wasn’t thrilled with his brother’s decision. Queen Elizabeth II, meanwhile, announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer use their His and Her Royal Highness titles.
Elsewhere during the evening, William took the stage to present producer Kathleen Kennedy with the BAFTA Fellowship Award. He addressed the lack of diversity in the entertainment industry during his speech.
“Both here in the UK and in many other countries across the world we are lucky to have incredible filmmakers, actors, producers, directors and technicians – men and women from all backgrounds and ethnicities enriching our lives through film,” he said. “Yet in 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process – that simply cannot be right in this day and age.”
Scroll through to see all the candid moments from inside the 2020 BAFTAs: