Prince William, Kate Middleton grace BAFTAs red carpet for first time as Prince, Princess of Wales
MANILA, Philippines — The 2023 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) was a big night for "All Quiet on the Western Front," "The Banshees of Inisherin," and "Elvis," but the ceremony also marked the return of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The two royals made their first in-person appearance at the BAFTAs in two years. William regularly attended the ceremony since becoming BAFTA president in 2010, with Kate joining him since 2017.
In 2021, William pulled out from attending as his grandfather Prince Philip had just passed away — Philip was the first-ever president of BAFTA — while last year, the royal couldn't attend because of a busy schedule.
This is also the first time William and Kate attended the BAFTAs as Prince and Princess of Wales, titles they inherited following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last year and the ascension of William's father Charles to the British throne.
The 41-year-old Kate wore a white one-shoulder Alexander McQueen dress and black opera gloves, pairing them with gold jewels and earrings from Zara. Complementing her outfit was William in an equally simple black velvet Tom Ford suit.
Related: Dolly de Leon hits BAFTA 2023 red carpet in Rajo Laurel 'Alon' gown
Kate had actually worn the Grecian-style gown at the 2019 BAFTAs. The following year — her last BAFTAs attendance before this year — she wore a gold and white Alexander McQueen gown which she had previously worn to a state dinner in Malaysia eight years prior.
The 2023 BAFTAs featured a special tribute to Queen Elizabeth II introduced by award-winning actress Helen Mirren, who portrayed the late queen in the 2006 movie "The Queen."
"Cinema at its best does what Her Majesty did effortlessly — bring us together and unite us through a story. Your Majesty, you were our nation's leading star," said Mirren.
German anti-war movie "All Quiet on the Western Front" took home seven awards including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Filipino actress Dolly de Leon lost Best Supporting Actress to "The Banshees of Inisherin" star Kerry Condon, one of four awards that the Irish film by Martin McDonagh won that night.
That did not stop the "Triangle of Sadness" star from owning the BAFTAs red carpet in her gold "Alon" gown by Rajo Laurel, and later at an afterparty an "Artist's kumot" ensemble by Jude Macasinag.
RELATED: Dolly de Leon rocks 'kumot' at 2023 BAFTAs after-party
