THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUSSEX RUB SHOULDERS WITH BEYONCE AND JAY Z AT The Lion King PREMIERE
THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUSSEX ARE ALL SMILES AS THEY MEET BEYONCE AND JAY Z AT ‘THE LION KING’ PREMIERE IN LONDON
The Duchess of Sussex looked chic and glamorous last week as she made her first red carpet appearance since welcoming baby son Archie. It was a date night for the duchess and her husband Prince Harry as they made their way to the Leicester Square Odeon for the premiere of the hotly anticipated remake of The Lion King. They even walked the yellow carpet to the tune of Can You Feel The Love Tonight? from the movie’s soundtrack. The new parents looked happy and giggly as they made
their way into the venue hand in hand to rub shoulders with Beyoncé and her husband Jay Z, Sir Elton John and Pharrell Williams. Sir Elton – who was a close friend of Harry’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales – actually sang The Lion King track Circle Of Life at the couple’s wedding luncheon.
It was a case of showbiz royalty meeting real-life royalty when 37-yearold Meghan and 34-year-old Harry greeted Beyoncé and Jay Z with warm hugs. In a break from royal protocol, the quartet embraced and were heard
exchanging parenting tips, with Jay Z telling Harry to ‘always find some time for yourself’, while Beyoncé told the duchess: ‘We love you guys,’ and: ‘Your baby is so beautiful.’ Meghan and Harry co-ordinated in black with the duchess opting for a semi sheer dress by Jason Wu, while the duke wore a dinner jacket. The premiere was held in support of the conservation and communities work of Prince Harry through The Royal Foundation; Harry has taken a deep personal interest in projects that protect African heritage and he and Meghan will make an official visit to South Africa in the autumn.
Meghan and Harry also met Sir Elton John and rapper Pharrell Williams, who made a rare public appearance with his wife of six years, Helen Lasichanh. Elton and Pharrell, along with Beyoncé, sang on the remake’s soundtrack. Beyoncé last week revealed: ‘I am still a bit in shock that I’m part of this film because I grew up loving The Lion King.’
OK! joined the film’s director Jon Favreau at the premiere, as he told us he was ‘very excited’ about the royal pair seeing the film. ‘They seem to be wonderful people and I love their involvement,’ he said. ‘I just hope we got the King part of it right!’ Jon added that it was a ‘big treat’ to work so closely with
Beyoncé and called her ‘a consummate entertainer and professional’.
Other stars at the event included Myleene Klass, who is just weeks away from welcoming her baby boy, Maya Jama, and Rochelle and Marvin Humes. Meanwhile, Sam Faiers and her partner Paul Knightley brought along their three-year-old son Paul. Also making it a family affair were Kimberley Walsh and Justin Scott, with sons Bobby and Cole.
Jon continued: ‘There are donations being made on behalf of this film to help preserve the lion population and they’ve taken a great interest in that.’
In other royal news last week, the name of Harry and Meghan’s charity was revealed. Since their split from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal Foundation, their new organisation will be called Sussex Royal, like their Instagram account of the same name.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex enjoyed a date night at the European premiere of The Lion King remake (see page 18), and after watching Disney’s newest export we can see why they made the effort. The impressive CGI is so realistic it will have you questioning whether you’re actually watching a David Attenborough documentary – that is until the wildlife start belting out the hits such as I Just Can’t Wait To Be King and Hakuna Matata. The film has plenty of star appeal thanks to Beyoncé taking on the voice of lioness Nala, while Seth Rogen provides major laughs as loveable warthog Pumbaa. A stunning remake of the Disney classic.