Prince William and Kate Middleton attended the BAFTAS last night and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is clearly having an effect. While Kate looks elegant in her gown, and William is smartly dressed, the air of tension surrounding the royals is clear. Just by looking at the photos of the event, it is clear the Prince and Princess of Wales are finding it very hard to concentrate.
Their evening out came in the wake of the shock arrest of William’s uncle, who was taken for questioning relating to Jeffrey Epstein and only returned home much later. King Charles and Queen Camilla were also out and about and involved in London Fashion Week, but now it was the turn of the younger royals to face the public after such disgrace. The BAFTAs are the UK’s version of the Oscars, so the stars were out that night.
Celebrating the best of British film at the @BAFTA Film Awards 2026 🎬✨ pic.twitter.com/qW8yOluSaR
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 22, 2026
Despite all that has happened, Prince William and Kate were clearly told to keep up appearances, while performing their public duty at the BAFTAs, especially as William is the president. However, each photo taken of the royal pair at the event clearly revealed underlying tension, and difficulty to keep their concentration on the event. This was the first time attending the BAFTAs since 2023, as Kate took a number of years out while undergoing cancer treatment.
They were first seen walking the red carpet outside the Royal Festival Hall in London, where the BAFTAs were hosted. The royal couple was welcomed on arrival by Kenneth Olisa, Lord Lieutenant of Greater London. Once inside the building, the event continued with William giving an opening speech, but they both looked incredibly tense.
View this post on Instagram
Body language expert Judi James explained the royals’ body language to Hello Magazine, saying, “William and Kate delivered their usual, impeccable red carpet A-list glamour here, but there are a handful of tells that might reflect the undeniable tensions of the past week.”
“[The royals] walk side by side with their arms hanging loose at their sides, with a closeness of the dangling inner hands suggesting a desire to clasp hands here or perhaps to perform the kind of signature truncated touches, pats and strokes they often give each other to support each other at events like this. Instead of touching, though, we can see the fingers of William’s right hand slightly curled so that his index finger touches his thumb, hinting at a self-soothe ritual.”
James also noted that Prince William’s lips were “pulled inward and his brows pulled into a small frown” which suggested anxiety.
Moreover, while Kate never lets her smile fade, Judi added, “Kate’s smiles are as impeccable as usual, although there is a very slightly edge-to-edge placing of the teeth, which again could signal inner tension.”
View this post on Instagram
After Andrew was arrested from his home on “suspicion of misconduct in public office,” the royal family is clearly struggling, with recent calls for King Charles to abdicate. If he should do so, William would get to step up to the throne, and just the thought of that is enough for Prince William to feel somewhat anxious.
