Duke of Cambridge will no longer to appear at Baftas

THE Duke of Cambridge has withdrawn from this weekend’s Bafta awards coverage following the death of his grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh.

This year’s film awards began last night and will continue tonight, with presenters attending London’s Royal Albert Hall in person for Sunday’s broadcast.

William, who is president of Bafta, was due to feature on Saturday in a pre-recorded conversation with costume designer Jenny Beavan and make-up and hair designer Sharon Martin, talking about filming in lockdown and the craft of filmmaking.

On Sunday, he was to deliver a speech via video, celebrating the resilience of the film industry over the past year.

Bafta said in a statement: “In light of the Duke of Edinburgh’s passing, the Duke of Cambridge will no longer be part of Bafta programming this weekend. Our thoughts are with the royal family, to whom we offer our deepest sympathy at this time”.

Among the British contenders for awards this year are Daniel Kaluuya,

Vanessa Kirby and Riz Ahmed.

The main ceremony, which airs at 7pm tonight on BBC One, will be hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Edith Bowman, when 17 awards will be presented and director Ang Lee honoured with the Bafta Fellowship.

Presenters, including Hugh Grant, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Tom Hiddleston, will appear in person at the Royal Albert Hall, while nominees will appear virtually.

Road movie Nomadland and coming-of-age drama Rocks lead the list of nominations.