The BAFTAs are this weekend and I had the sudden realization yesterday morning that we had zero gossip about whether the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would attend this year’s awards show. I even tweeted about it! Mysteriously, the Daily Mirror got a confirmation about William’s lack of attendance right after I tweeted that, curiouser and curiouser. So, Prince William, the honorary President of BAFTA, is skipping this year’s ceremony. He also skipped last year’s ceremony, but that was just days after Prince Philip passed away. Since William assumed the presidency of BAFTA in 2010, he’s skipped the ceremony (by my count) six times previously. Lucky number seven for President Work-Shy.
Prince William will not be at the BAFTAs in a big blow to organisers of the prestigious film awards. The Duke of Cambridge is president of the academy but has left bosses “disappointed” after turning down an invite to the show at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday. Organisers will instead show a pre-recorded message from him.
A source said: “Prince William is always a huge draw, not least as it’s the first year back in person after the pandemic. But BAFTA were told that diary constraints precluded him from attending in person this year. It’s such a shame and everyone is very disappointed.”
Last year, Prince William was set to deliver a video speech at the virtual ceremony, celebrating the resilience of the film industry during the pandemic. He however pulled out following the death of his grandfather Prince Philip. The TV source added: “That was, of course, totally understandable. But everyone expected him to attend this year and the fact he is not, is most unfortunate.”
There has been tension between the Palace and the BBC over recent coverage of the Royal Family. Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace condemned journalist Amol Rajan’s The Princes and the Press series, which included claims courtiers leaked negative stories about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. But sources close to the Duke played down the decision not to attend as being linked to the row.
A BAFTA spokesman said: “We’re delighted that BAFTA president The Duke of Cambridge will be participating in the EE BAFTA Film Awards via a pre-recorded video message.”
I mean, William is possibly skipping the BAFTAs because of his beef with the BBC, but let’s be real, he doesn’t need a “reason” to be lazy. He just IS. He’s not going to the BAFTAs because he doesn’t feel like it. I would also assume that he’s not eager to be the butt of jokes from various award winners and presenters. Rebel Wilson is the host of this year’s BAFTAs, you know she was prepared to say some sh-t. Oh, and don’t forget that if William attended, he would be expected to bring Kate. Maybe that’s it – he decided to skip it because he doesn’t want to spend any more time with his wife this week.
PS… Don’t forget about this bizarre story from December, where it sounded like BAFTA’s CEO Amanda Berry was fired because of something to do with Prince William. There are layers and layers to William’s absence from the BAFTAs this year.
Photos of William at a BAFTA event last month:
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN.
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- Sunday 2nd February 2020. Royal Albert Hall , London, UK The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend the EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. The Duke, President of the British Film Academy Award of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and The Duchess will meet BAFTA representatives and watch the ceremony. The Duke?Äôs tenth year as President of BAFTA.,Image: 563239484, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: PA ROTA / Avalon
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- Sunday 2nd February 2020. Royal Albert Hall , London, UK The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend the EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. The Duke, President of the British Film Academy Award of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and The Duchess will meet BAFTA representatives and watch the ceremony. The Duke?Äôs tenth year as President of BAFTA.,Image: 563239521, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: PA ROTA / Avalon
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- Sunday 2nd February 2020. Royal Albert Hall , London, UK The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend the EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. The Duke, President of the British Film Academy Award of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and The Duchess meet BAFTA winners including Renee Zellweger after watching the ceremony. The Duke?Äôs tenth year as President of BAFTA.,Image: 563240391, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: PA ROTA / Avalon
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- HRH Prince William – The Duke of Cambridge departs BAFTA, London, England, UK on Thursday 27 January, 2022.,Image: 656908125, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- HRH PRINCE WILLIAM TODAY VISITED THE NEWLY REOPENED BAFTA HQ WHERE HE MET PARTICIPIANTS OFTHE BURSARY AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES AND TO MEET PARTICIPIANTS IN THE MENTORING PROGRAMME,Image: 656914822, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: PAUL GROVER / Avalon
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- HRH THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE VISITS BAFTA TO MARK THE REOPENING OF THEIR HQ,Image: 656915035, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: PAUL GROVER / Avalon
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- HRH THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE VISITS BAFTA TO MARK THE REOPENING OF THEIR HQ,Image: 656915085, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: PAUL GROVER / Avalon
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- Sunday 2nd February 2020. Royal Albert Hall , London, UK The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend the EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. The Duke, President of the British Film Academy Award of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and The Duchess will meet BAFTA representatives and watch the ceremony. The Duke’s tenth year as President of BAFTA. Where: London, United Kingdom When: 02 Feb 2020 Credit: WENN/Avalon **WENN/Avalon**
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- Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge arrive for the BAFTA 2019 Awards at The Royal Albert Hall in London, Sunday Feb. 10, 2019.
Of course he is. Lazy squib.
🤣😂🤣 I feel like “squib” is one of those words that doesn’t get used nearly enough! Thanks for the LOLZ, L84Tea!
If the Harry Potter world really existed, William would totally be a squib! 😀
Just yesterday I saw an article in some BM outlet that the Lamebridges *would* be attending, so this timing is curious. I’m certain Rebel Wilson would have some witty quips about the colonizers, and probably still will absence notwithstanding, and we know how thin skinned Bulliam is. But, the global dragging he got and is still getting over his racist and “ahistoric” remarks yesterday could also have something to do with this decision. I’m wondering if we’ll see any modifications to the Grand Caribbean Vacay in coming days.
That’s what I think; he doesn’t want the jokes and comments about his Ukraine comments.
I still hope he gets called out publicly.
Rebel said yesterday that the Royals had seen the jokes she was planning on using and said they were okay with them. She even mentioned that the Royals had a sense of humour.
“They saw the jokes and said they were okay” doesn’t necessarily mean they weren’t hurt or offended by said jokes. It only means they were okay because they never intended to attend the BAFTA.
Diary constraints? What is that?
I laughed at that too! It sounds like a health issue
He needs a day to play around in the rose bushes after a stressful day of being called out for the ignorant racist he is.
Isn’t his schedule posted online somewhere? I’d think this would be an easy lie to unmask. I mean, it’s at night. What previous engagement could he have?
You guys don’t understand. This is Top CEO stuff. Monday is Commonwealth Day. That is going to be EXHAUSTING. Poor birds need time to practice their mean b*tch faces don’t you know?
Celebitches called this months ago!
Also, lmfao at them calling this “a big blow to organisers.” Please. “Huge draw” my ass. Give me the biggest break ever.
I think anybody interested would be there because of the award winners.
Laughing at myself because I initially read it as “DAIRY constraints preclude him from attending” and was like are they serious with this excuse?! 😂😂
Haha I read it the same! Immediately thought maybe his constantly sour face reflects the discomfort of lactose intolerance
That’s exactly how I read it as well. I thought, “that can’t be right” and had to read it a couple more times. lol More coffee for me.
LOL. He doesn’t want to be asked questions about his lactose intolerance to milk that’s not white.
Not only is William a bully. He’s a big @ss coward.
this seems like the easiest part of his job as a working royal. Show up for an awards show (last one to arrive, so he’s not milling about with the peasants), laugh at yourself as warranted (I guess that’s the hard part) and then take some pics with celebs and peace out.
Why the hell is he even the president if he can’t attend the biggest BAFTA event of the year?
@Becks, of course I usually blame anything like this on Bill’s epic laziness, but in this case, do you think it’s possible that even *he* realized how poorly the last time they attended went, and he doesn’t want to be embarrassed again?
It was so, so awkward…those moments of absolute dead silence as W&K were shown to their seats, the bored expressions on the faces of all of the attendees, and then the coup de grace: Joaquin Phoenix totally upstaging Bill during his acceptance remarks, before Bill ever even got to the stage to make his “landmark” (lol) speech denouncing racism?
He’s generally so dim that I wouldn’t even expect him to realize when he looks like a jackass, but that night was SO awkward that I could see him actually realizing it.
@lorelei So apparently this was reported before yday’s mess of a PR stunt. I saw the Mirror and I think OK magazine reporting that they would only do a prerecorded message or something
Dog in the manger.
He doesn’t want a repeat of when he walks in and nobody applauds.
Haha yes exactly what I was thinking. That was a chilly reception and it definitely won’t be any better now.
@C you just said in one concise sentence what it took me three paragraphs to say! 😂
His ‘beef’ with the BBC didn’t stop them from using BBC production to do Kate’s silly Christmas event. He’s lazy, that’s always a reason why he doesn’t show. Or he doesn’t want another set of pictures of Kate swanning around in a new dress pretending they’re happily married. Might upset his new sidepiece.
I put my money on the theory that Horse Teeth the Baldy does not want another set of pictures with Wiglet.
Is there a reason she couldn’t sub in for him? It’s him or it’s nobody?
He’s the President of BAFTA! The least he could do is make an effort and pretend to give a care.
Celebitches called this months ago!
Also, lmfao at this being “a big blow to the organisers.” Please. “Huge draw” my ass. Give me the biggest break ever.
It may not look like it to everyone from the outside but ohh they are HURTING. Lol.
Considering the reception they got from their last in person attendance this is not surprising. And that was BEFORE Oprah’s interview.
Now add the recent racist remarks and the war..not surprised he isn’t going.
Also you really know they’re hurting because how uniformly the RRs have responded to try and defend William.. Last time they did that was the Oprah interview.
Behind the scenes Willy is incandescent with rage.
He doesn’t want to be dragged or made fun of again.
Exactly this. Also he fears reference will be made to ” trouble in paradise “,
I like to think Wills is reluctant to attend the BAFTAs because his Eton schoolmates have actually been nominated for and actually won BAFTAs and it only highlights how inadequate he is at everything.
Can’t stop laughing. His presence would bring a huge draw, is the funniest thing ever. Willy, thy name isn’t Harry. Calm yourself and your ego other brother. Also what diary or dairy constraints does he have? On one hand it would explain why he always looks constipated while doing events or anywhere near his wife. On the other hand, pruning rose bushes or any other kind of gardening is not what he gets tax payers money for.
Willy is such a f-ing snowflake
A coward, he is a coward.
“Huge draw”…..surely they jest 🤣🤣
But…but…but… keeny Antoinette was supposed to be keen in blue
This is punishment for her feeding the press stories about her being his anchor.
Can’t have keen Kate in blue overshadow the FFk. Therefore no attendance
They should both be in blue and yellow, but they are too stupid and selfish to think that way.
Oh man, Katie is going to be big mad that she won’t be able to play dress up in a sparkly dress and an old lady wiglet and mingle with the stars!
Wow, how rude. Especially after the Baftas snubbed “Spencer” and Kristen Stewart this year for him.
I’m going with he wants the single dad narrative out more and he also is worried about being made fun of and doesn’t want to give keen any chances to preen and dance around in a silly outfit.
Coward much? He’s afraid to show his face after the last silent hall reception he & Keen got. Add to this new jokes/questions about his Ukraine comments and it’s a no go for him. While he’s at it, he should pull out of his Caribbean tour too.
He would never snub a sports invite but this philistine doesn’t appreciate culture. Talented self made actors, comics and entertainers make him uncomfortable because they have in abundance something he will never have;charisma and the determination to succeed. No wonder Meghan had to be banished from his presence rather than upstage his Royal dullness!
Ha, will the Caribbean tour have to be cancelled too after his comment about Europe?
He was never going to go after being such a giant buffoon last time and sending out his rota rats to complain that he wasn’t afforded due deference because of jokes. He’s done a total of what, seven or eight events in 2022, and one of them being that tour of the new BAFTA facility back at the end of Jan? He was done with his BAFTA obligation for the year.
Keen! This is your chance! Tell William you’re going to stay with your parents, stuff something sparkly in your overnight bag, then show up to the Baftas completely unexpected and dazzle everybody with your glamour and wit! I’ve been hearing about how wonderfully you’ve been stepping up and how relaxed you are while solo – let’s see it then.
Actually I would love it more if Edward, who actually loves the arts and would genuinely be better at this job than the FFK, sent somebody a DM that he’s “willing to fill in”…
Something had to give, next week he has St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guard and then he flies off to his Caribbean vacation. BAFTA got the short straw.
Look I totally get TQ having to pace herself carefully at nearly 96 but at 40 surely Basher is in his prime and can razzle dazzle at 3events a day without, ahem, breaking into a sweat (we all know Royal never sweat the small stuff like teenage rape accusations!)
This is a big blow all right – to Buttons McMutton. She LOVES these events where she’s mixing with celebs.
He’s avoiding for many reasons, mostly to do with the Sussex’s, Uncle Andrew and to avoid being laughed at/trolled by presenters like Rebel.
Dairy eh? Lactose intolerance or an affair with someone in the milk industry?
Of course, and the particular reason is he doesn’t want to hear Harry’s name mentioned because he’s a petulant little man-baby. And possibly doesn’t want to endure being beside Kate for a whole long evening. I’d go with both.
So William opened his pie-hole in 2020 criticizing the awards’ lack of diversity. Nominees in the four acting categories were all white, while no women were nominated for best director, for the seventh year in a row. Then Amanda Berry was dragged for giving Doctor Who star Noel Clarke an outstanding contribution to cinema award last year shortly before sexual misconduct allegations against him came to light. Over 20 women came forward with complaints about him. Then she was criticized for being too friendly-schmendly with the Cambridges. I think William’s comments were merely performative because this was at the height of Sussexit and the brutal racist harassment of Meghan, so apparently racism and misogyny still infect the BAFTAs but the Cambridges don’t really give a sh*t. That’s why the chicken-sh*ts aren’t putting in an appearance.
I think the most of the entertainment industry is done with the Cambridges. These no shows at the BAFTAs shows no respect for the craft; and the BRF showed no respect for one of their own – Meghan. Not everyone in that room is bucking for a knighthood or a damehood.
I have a theory. I’ve thought for a long time that there’s something wrong with William & the Firm knows they can’t rely on him at typical bread & butter engagements. I figured it was some combination of laziness, possible substance abuse, busy with affairs, whatever. But after seeing the fallout from his disastrous performance yesterday, I think it might be simpler. He just is not up to the most basic requirements of his royal “job.” Manic grins, jazz hands & wiglets aside, Kate can at least be deployed (when she feels like it) & not trend for 2 days because she said racist sh*t. With the Ukraine comments, the “joke” about the food delivery driver being frisked, the comments that Africans should have no more than 2 kids when his wife was pregnant with their 3rd, I have to conclude that William can’t be trusted not to say horrible things in public. He’s a racist boor who can’t even censor himself.
He’s likely tanked any goodwill leading up to the Caribbean “tour,” which was already looking like a grim affair. The future King is an actual liability to the “soft power” the royals are supposed to cultivate. So with the “Cambridges doing separate enagagements” thing, I predict Kate will get the visits with the public, video, etc. William will get “high profile,” but easier to control events, like visiting the UAE, popping in to MI6 & doing a pre-recorded message for the BAFTAs. I think the Firm knows he can’t handle even a simple public appearance. No wonder Charles was so desperate to prevent Harry’s escape.
You might be onto something Lizzie. I think it’s laziness, disinterest, stupidity, entitlement and possibly Asperger’s. He clearly has no self-discipline, can’t hide his disdain for Kate, and blurts out the most inane and often cruel things — it’s like he has no filters.
I think the Caribbean *tour* (coughvacationcough) is going to be a disaster, but maybe that’s what they need to do — embarrass themselves so badly in front of the world that he gets forced into some kind of therapy and immersion course in soft diplomacy, and Kate gets off her bony a$$ and starts taking an active part in proper charity work.
@Jaded IMO, Kate has the same problem. When all she needs is to smile and look pretty, it’s OK. But when she needs to interact with people, say something meaningful, on theme, she fails even more spectacular than TOB. There’re a lot of examples.
Her “conversation” with dr’ Biden, her latest solo visit with this embarassing “slide show”, her early fiascos (“taste the smell”, the question about Faberge eggs, etc’).
They are both so dimwitted, ignorant and lazy – it’s hopeless to expect something rational or decent from Kate.
I wouldn’t give the ‘excuse’ of Asbergers. W&K are narcissists plain and simple.
I agree with most of your post but the part about Willie being unable to help himself or censor himself from saying racist or offensive things. I think most people who go around saying the things Will does think that others agree with them, so they won’t get in trouble. Will may be that kind of person. Also, Will is as entitled as Donald Trump so he says whatever he feels like. Let’s also not underestimate the poisonous environment William grew up in, where he was always indulged because of his status as an heir. Finally, he knows whatever he says, the BM will cover for him or praise him. That may be convenient as it prevents immediate embarrassment to him (in the UK), but that also means that William (and Kate too) never get the chance to learn from their mistakes, to grow and to evolve as human beings or public figures. Bottom line: He can help it.
Queen Letizia of Spain recently wore a gorgeous traditional Ukrainian blouse to an event in Madrid. I keep expecting Kate to copy cat the look and thought something similar or a dress by a Ukrainian designer for the BAFTA awards.
Did not realize she would be too busy on a Sunday evening to attend
Quite. If there was EVER a time for Keen to dress like a flag, now is it.
She’s been training all this time for this moment….and Will snatches it away from her. She’s probably pissed lol
It’s funny that William can barely do one event a year. Why is he President? He hasn’t attended the biggest event half the time. Obviously Meghan would have been great at it.
I’m not from England so I don’t really understand patronages. Can’t the Bafta’s just say they don’t need a royal to be there. Or a patron at all. Isn’t this an independent organisation. I know it used to be that the royals brought more money and press to the organisations. But now it seems that’s not the case. So why doesn’t everybody just dump the royals and work on getting celebrities to help them. Is that even possible?
What difference does it make anyway? What does William have to do with theater and film? Isn’t that stuff “beneath” them? I don’t understand why he’s affiliated with BAFTA at all.
He had to pretend to be interested with the whole made up Young BAFTA thing in L.A. during their first tour. They were supposed to go to a few cities in Canada. Keen wanted to meet famous people, so a sham event was organized in Hollywood to make that happen.
I think Rebel Wilson should still say shit about William. It doesn’t matter if he’s there or not.
I hope the reason is because he got wind that they asked the Sussesxes instead. Can someone please make that happen. That would be sweet.
I must admit I don’t get this. The above article is full of compliments for William, but they are all from “a source,” a “TV source,” and a “BAFTA source.” If the organization loves William so much, wouldn’t they go on record with these superlatives?
Are Harry and Meghan nominated 🤔I’m thinking that might have something to do with it, then again willy never needed any excuses to do nothing! I’m wondering if it might be to punish khate but he could’ve gone without her
Look, this is the same guy who attended a Bollywood event and said he’d never seen a Bollywood film. Has he ever heard of preparation? If he has, he has no concept of it. William puts in minimal effort and expects everyone to fawn over him. So I’m not shocked by the fact he’s not attending Bafta. Maybe he is afraid people won’t kiss his feet or might mock his racist comments about Ukraine or maybe he just doesn’t feel like going. Remember when Kate didn’t go to some event (handing out poppies or four leaf clovers? I don’t remember) because she didn’t want anyone to expect she’d show up every year. I mean, these two are unbelievable. And William thinks he is king material? He has been drinking his own kool-aid. This upcoming tour/vacation could not come at a worse time, but I’m sure he expects everyone will fawn over him as the great White Savior. Disgusting.
Hey I remember there was going to be a clause which would say that they have to be respectful to His Elegance. Still he has diary constraints? Found a new garden to practice his favourite hobbies 😜