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On February 23, 2026, Prince William candidly shared that he isn’t “calm enough at the moment” to watch the film “Hamnet.”
The 43-year-old royal, alongside his wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales, made their first public appearance together since his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was taken into custody last Thursday (February 19, 2026). The couple attended the BAFTA Awards held at The Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday (February 22, 2026), where William, in his role as BAFTA president, was asked about this year’s standout films.
Prince and Princess of Wales at the BAFTA Awards
Prince William revealed that Catherine was “in floods of tears” after watching “Hamnet” on Saturday (February 21, 2026). The film, directed by Chloe Zhao, is an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel which poignantly explores the death of William Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son due to the plague.
When questioned if he had seen the film, Prince William admitted, “I need to be in quite a calm state and I am not at the moment. I will save it.”
But asked if he had seen it, he said: “I need to be in quite a calm state and I am not at the moment. I will save it.”
Catherine, who wore a Gucci gown she had previously stepped out in in 2019, joked to Southbank Centre chief executive Elaine Bedell that watching Hamnet had been a “bad idea” because she “ended up with very puffy eyes”.
She added: “It was so beautifully shot. The music as well. The score is fantastic.”
The princess also praised the movie’s “presentation of intergenerational grief” and noted the young child actors had done “so well”.
Catherine “loved the connection to nature” in “very, very powerful” Hamnet.
She added: “It’s very stripped back and you see the human emotions”.
William also admitted he hadn’t yet seen Marty Supreme and described Sinners as “a bit dark”.
He added: “I have seen One Battle After Another, that was very good.
“We were not expecting it to start the way it did.”
Catherine – who underwent cancer treatment in 2024 – has found movies a useful way of having “hard conversations” with her and William’s three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis.
She said: “The children are starting to get interested in films and it’s a really great way to have some of the hard conversations with them.”
And she suggested she is keen to take them to visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour.
Emily Stillman, Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee, told the princess: “Last time I saw you, you were pregnant with George and you were doing your Harry Potter spells.”
Catherine replied: “I was saying how much the children would love to look around. They love the idea of going behind the scenes and finding out how it all happens.”
Hamnet won Outstanding British film at the BAFTA awards, while star Jessie Buckley scooped Best Leading Actress.
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