Prince William and Prince Harry attend premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'
WATCH Prince William and Prince Harry attend premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'
Prince William and Prince Harry attended the European premiere of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" today, the latest installment in the blockbuster franchise created by George Lucas in 1977.
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Hannah McKay/ReutersWilliam and Harry joined Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey; Mark Hamill, who reprises his role as Luke Skywalker; and John Boyega, who plays Finn. Gwendoline Christie, Laura Dean, Adam Driver, Benicia Del Toro and and other stars of "The Last Jedi" also appeared on the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall in London tonight.
Prince William and Prince Harry visited the @starwars film set at Pinewood Studios in April 2016 to recognise the wealth of British creative talent involved in the production of the Star Wars films. pic.twitter.com/GcoooJjLDU
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 12, 2017
William and Harry were greeted by BB-8 and stormtroopers lining the carpet, as well Disney executives including Bob Iger, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company.
Tonight’s Premiere is supporting The Royal Foundation – we are honoured to have so many of those involved in the projects as guests tonight. @EndeavourFund @WeAreCoachCore @fly2pole pic.twitter.com/CANnMpkrIg
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 12, 2017
Fan favorites Chewbacca C3PO and R2-D2 were also present for the thousands of fans who came out to catch a glimpse of the iconic characters.
After months of speculation, Boyega told BBC Radio 4 in November that William and Harry, who visited the set in April 2016, had cameos in the film.
"I've had enough with those secrets," Boyega said. "They came on set. They were there. I'm sick of hiding it. I think it was leaked anyway."
The brothers are rumored to play stormtroopers in the film. Once inside the Royal Albert Hall, William and Harry were presented with stormtrooper masks in an apparent reference to their purported cameos in the film.
Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty ImagesAfter the line-up, the two princes were each given a stormtrooper helmet of their own by Lily Chambers, 12, and Eloisa Lerner, 8, whose fathers are both executives at Disney.
"Wow," said William. "Should I put this on?"
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry were each presented with a special gift this evening – their own Stormtrooper helmet! #TheLastJedi pic.twitter.com/NnCmWzkcmw
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 12, 2017
William also appeared to chide Boyega for spilling the beans about the princes' rumored cameos. Boyega laughed uproariously as the Duke of Cambridge wagged his finger.
Kensington Palace has always refused to confirm whether the brothers have cameos in the film.
Rian Johnson, the director and writer of "The Last Jedi," paid special tribute to the late Carrie Fisher, who immortalized Princess Leia onscreen.
"I want to dedicate tonight to Carrie, who is up there right now flipping me the bird, saying 'Damn it, Rian, don't you dare make this night a solemn tribute.'"
"So let's all have a blast tonight for Carrie," he added.
The actress died suddenly last year around this time after suffering cardiac arrest following an in-flight medical emergency on a plane from London to Los Angeles.
Hamill paid tribute to his late co-star and said it had been a privilege to work with her. "She was so much fun and you're going to love her performance. She is great in the film," he said.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … #thelastjedi pic.twitter.com/1u5s5EHO8a
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 12, 2017
William and Harry couldn’t have looked more thrilled as they met their childhood hero Luke Skywalker tonight. William admitted during his 2016 visit to Pinewood Studios where the film was being shot that he has always been a “'Star Wars' geek”
A quick chat with Luke Skywalker before #thelastjedi starts! pic.twitter.com/A1wwpvWQ4U
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 12, 2017
William, Kate and Harry's Royal Foundation invited 400 young people, military veterans and volunteers from programs it supports, including Coach Core, Full Effect and the Endeavor Fund, to join the princes at the premiere.
Kensington Palace said the premiere was “an opportunity to recognize and celebrate people who have worked hard to change their lives and the lives of others.”
Several victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster were also invited to the premiere by the Royal Foundation.
The film follows 2015’s "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and is the second installment of the sequel trilogy series.
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