The Princess Wears Gucci and Shimmering Diamonds for BAFTAs

The Princess brought back a Gucci evening gown for tonight’s BAFTA gala in London.

The Prince and Princess attended the 79th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), at the Royal Festival Hall. In this photo, you can see the top layer of the Princess’s gown floating in the breeze.

Here is Lord-Lieutenant of London Sir Kenneth Olisa greeting the couple as they arrived.

Prince William has been president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since 2010. 

And a side view of the gown in this photo of the royals with Jane Millichip, CEO of BAFTA, in the dark teal.

Another view of the couple. 

In this video from Robert Jobson, you can see how the Princess’s gown moves. 

Prince & Princess of Wales at #Baftas pic.twitter.com/865LspwP0f

— @theroyaleditor (@RobertDJobson) February 22, 2026

Once inside, the couple spoke with officials and nominees. 

More from The Telegraph’s coverage.

The Princess, wearing a pale pink and cream Gucci gown that she previously wore to a 2019 gala, joked that watching Hamnet the night before the ceremony was a “bad idea” because she “ended up with very puffy eyes”.

She said: “It was so beautifully shot. The music as well. The score is fantastic.”

The Princess, a mother-of-three, also shared her appreciation of the film’s “presentation of intergenerational grief”.

She added: “We have a long list of films that we still need to get through.”

This video from Cameron Walker has part of that conversation. 

The Princess of Wales was in “floods of tears” watching @hamnetmovie, Prince William reveals at @BAFTA. Catherine was touched by the music, cinematography and the story of “inter generational grief”.
She also said she’s “trying to get the children into film a bit more.” pic.twitter.com/9heWzjCIuG

— Cameron Walker (@CameronDLWalker) February 22, 2026

Another view of the couple with Jane Millichip.

Here you see the royals as they make their way to their seats.
And a wide shot. 

More from The Daily Mail’s story. 

William said he had not yet seen Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet, and described the vampire movie Sinners as ‘a bit dark’.

‘I have seen One Battle After Another, that was very good. We were not expecting it to start the way it did.’

The Princess also revealed how Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are now taking a greater interest in films.

Among those presenting awards tonight was Paddington Bear, announcing the winner of the best children’s and family film.

Prince William also presented an award. 

We learn more from Variety’s article. 

Prince William paid tribute to NBCUniversal chair Donna Langley as he awarded her BAFTA’s highest honor, the BAFTA Fellowship during the film awards on Sunday night, calling the British-born studio head a “shining light.”

“The path to fellowship is an honor given in recognition of an exceptional contribution to film,” he told the audience, which included many of Langley’s colleagues and collaborators, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Renée Zellweger and Emma Stone. “And tonight’s recipient is quite simply that – exceptional.”

We return to The Telegraph’s piece. 

In his speech presenting Dame Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, with her Bafta Fellowship award, Prince William praised the UK’s creative industries, calling them “one of this country’s greatest strengths”.

He said he would “continue to celebrate and support the talent that makes them shine globally” in his role as president of the Academy. 

William also paid tribute to Dame Donna’s “transformative leadership”, noting that she was “the first British woman to run a major Hollywood studio” and ever since has been a “tireless advocate for British talent abroad”. 

Dame Donnna as she accepted her award.

The Princess applauds. 

And now, we take a look at what Kate wore for tonight’s awards. The Gucci gown showcased an intricately ruched bodice and a floaty, flowing skirt. The off-the-shoulder design also featured a burgundy velvet belt at the waist.

Many immediately recognized the blush-pink and burgundy plissé design, a style first worn in February 2019 for a Women in Finance fundraising dinner.

The Prince’s jacket coordinated nicely with the gown. 

Here is a review of all of the Princess’s BAFTA looks through the years. For the 2017 awards, she chose a bespoke off-the-shoulder Alexander McQueen design; at the 2018 awards, it was a deep green Jenny Packham gown; in 2019, she wore a white one-shoulder McQueen gown; for the 2020 awards, the Princess wore an Alexander McQueen design first seen during the 2012 Jubilee Tour; at the 2023 awards, she repeated a reworked version of the white McQueen style; and then tonight we saw the Gucci style again.

The Princess accessorized tonight’s look with glittering diamond jewelry, including the Greville Chandelier earrings. The earrings were a wedding present for the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947 and are said to have been a favorite of the late Queen.

We also saw the return of Queen Mary’s Diamond Choker Bracelet, an Art Deco style made by Cartier from a necklace originally worn as a choker. You see the Queen wearing it in a postcard photo from the late 1930s, second from the left.

The Princess also repeated her Oscar de la Renta ‘Cabrina’ pumps in the ‘platinum lamé’ colorway. The point-toe style features scalloped sides, a raised back, and a 4″ heel. Because of a lack of good photos of the shoe, I show the style below as originally worn with this gown.

The Princess also carried her Prada ‘Raso’ Clutch in maroon or burgundy velvet, a hard-sided bag with the brand’s logo and a gold-tone clasp.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Also in this post, a quick look at an ensemble worn yesterday by the Princess of Wales.

She attended the Six Nations Rugby Match between England and Ireland at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham. Above, you see her with injured England player Fin Baxter. The Princess is the Rugby Football Union’s royal patron.

England lost to Ireland 42-21.

Here is a quick Kensington Palace video of the Princess at the match.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

She wore her blue coat by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, first noted on Christmas Day 2023 and then seen again during the German state visit in December of last year.

The Princess carried her Nano Montreal Bag in navy by DeMellier London and wore a new pair of gloves that look like they are from the House of Bruar, the Scottish retailer’s Full Leather Gloves ($50) in navy, with thanks to Middleton Maven for that ID. She also wore her England Rugby Core Fan Scarf.

I will leave you with one more photo from yesterday’s match. 

NOTE: I have received a number of emails from readers concerned about the tone of recent comments on posts, as well as a few from commenters wondering why their comments haven’t been published. There is an increased “snarkiness’ in some comments, and we need to address this before it becomes a common practice. On my own part, there are some that I have approved and published that, in retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have, and I apologize for any errors in judgment on that front. Please, let’s make an effort to leave comments that are respectful of the Princess and also of each other. 

VIDEOS: 

Here is ITN’s Royal Family Channel coverage; it runs roughly 30-seconds.