Kate Middleton joins Prince William, Prince Charles and Camilla at the No Time To Die premiere

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the glittering world premiere of the new James Bond film No Time To Die this evening.

In a rare joint engagement, Charles, 72, Camilla, 74, William and Kate, both 39, all stepped out on to the red carpet to meet 007 star Daniel Craig and other cast members including Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux and Lashana Lynch at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Mother-of-three Kate dazzled at the event in a custom Jenny Packham embellished gown – which is usually priced at £2,800. Featuring cape sleeve detailing and structured shoulders, she teamed her dress with bespoke £290 Onitaa earrings – which were made in Pakistan by the South Asian luxury couture label.

The royal foursome were introduced to screenwriters Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and singer Billie Eilish and her musician brother Finneas O’Connell, who co-wrote the new Bond theme song.

A number of healthcare workers and members of the armed forces joined the royals in the auditorium to watch the film as a thank you for their work during the Covid pandemic.

The highly anticipated No Time To Die is the 25th Bond film and fifth and final movie featuring Craig as 007. It faced more than a year of delays due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but is being released in UK cinemas on Thursday.

Looking effortlessly elegant, Kate’s dress had a bespoke 1970s-style cape attached and the royal beauty completed the look with gold earrings and shoes, with her hair coiled on top of her head. 

Amid screams of excitement, Kate, along with her husband, William, and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, walked up the red carpet outside London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Both Charles and his son were suave in black tie, while Camilla also looked elegant in a pale blue chiffon dress with silver embroidery by Bruce Oldfield. She teamed her dress with £149 Sole Bliss Carmen mid-heel court shoes in silver leather. 

Among the cast members waiting to greet the royal party were, of course, Craig, as well as villain Rami Malek and female leads Léa Seydoux and Lashana Lynch. They also met producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and director Cary Joji Fukunaga

Craig was Bond-like in his charm when he met Kate. ‘You look jolly lovely!’ he said. Meanwhile, Miss Waller-Bridge remarked ‘wow!’ when the duchess walked to the line up to her. 

Stopping briefly for a photo call on the steps of the historic entertainment venue, the royal party headed inside for the first royal premiere line-up in almost two years – although there was precious little in the way of handshakes. 

William and Kate had arrived first, driven down the red carpet in a fleet of Range Rovers past one of the famous Aston Martin cars from the film, waved on by a packed crowd outside the historic venue.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall turned up shortly afterwards, again driven partially down the red carpet in a state Bentley before being taken inside to meet the actors.

Royal sources said the outing of Charles, Camilla, William and Kate could herald a ‘new era’ of collaboration and solidarity between the future king and his eldest son. 

The world premiere will benefit charities supporting serving and former members of the three intelligence agencies – the Secret Intelligence Service, the Security Service and GCHQ – as well as charities supporting past and present members of the UK Special Forces. 

Heir to the throne Charles is patron of the British Film Institute, while his son William is president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta). 

William and Kate attended the star-studded world premiere for the last Bond film, Spectre, in 2015, and were joined by Prince Harry. Charles and Camilla attended the world premiere of the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall, in 2012.

The outing of Charles, Camilla, William and Kate is likely to be seen as a sign of collaboration and solidarity between the future king and his eldest son. 

No Time To Die takes place after Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, from the CIA turns up asking for help.

A mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading to a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. 

A number of Bond premieres have taken place at the Royal Albert Hall, including 2015’s Spectre where William and Kate and the Duke of Sussex were in attendance. 

Stars Ana de Armas, Naomie Harris and Lashana Lynch led the glamour in breathtaking evening gowns as they joined leading man Daniel Craig, who was dapper in a pink dinner jacket, at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Despite the wet weather, the stars were still dressed to the nines in showstopping frocks, with Lashana standing out in a vibrant yellow Vivienne Westwood Couture ballgown with a voluminous black skirt and dramatic asymmetric neckline. 

It was almost exactly the same shade as red carpet host Clara Amfo‘s strapless cocktail dress, which featured figure-flattering ruching, draped off-the-shoulder sleeves and a flirty calf-length hemline. 

Elsewhere Naomie opted for a sleek white column evening dress with cut-out detailing on the bodice and delicate shoestring straps. Typically sophisticated, she kept accessories to a minimum but did add a beaded strand to her hair.  

One of the fashion misses of the night was reality TV star Kimberly Gardner, who flashed her underwear in an attention-grabbing white gown with a dramatic side slit. The cut of the dress revealed the entirety of her leg – and a glimpse of what she was wearing underneath – as she walked the red carpet. 

Meanwhile Billie Eilish, who wrote the No Time To Die theme song, eschewed a glamorous evening dress for a boxy black suit in a shimmering black fabric with matching shirt, which she wore with Gucci platform slides. The oversized, baggy shape did little to accentuate her figure. 

Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas stepped out in a slinky black satin evening gown with a plunging neckline and thigh slit that revealed most of her leg. The dress featured chunky chain effect straps that brought a touch of edge to the otherwise refined ensemble. 

The actress, who previously dated Ben Affleck, wore her brunette locks in a long bob with a trendy blunt fringe. 

No Time To Die star Lea Seydoux channelled old Hollywood glamour in a silver and white gown complete with shimmering cape.  

The dress featured a cut-out neckline, cinched at the waist and spilled out into a full skirt. The French actress wore her hair in a short, sleek crop that was swept to the side. The bright colours and monochrome looks were a perfect counterpoint to Daniel Craig’s dark pink dinner jacket. 

Ahead of the red carpet event, fans gathered at the Royal Albert Hall to catch a glimpse of James Bond’s Astin Martin as it made its way to the red carpet.

Crew members brought the luxury vehicle to the venue in a truck where it was rolled out hours before the star-studded event began. The car had bullet holes in the glass and scratches across the sides following Bond’s adventures.  

It has been a long road to the premiere after the film’s release was delayed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 The film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, was originally scheduled for release in April 2020, but was pushed back to November before the release was changed once again to April 2021 in light of the coronavirus pandemic.