No Time To Die has finally premiered. After years of delays, Daniel Craig’s final turn as James Bond is hitting theaters in England ahead of its American release. The debut boasted some literal royalty in attendance. On a night of movie stars, it was Prince William and Kate Middleton turning the most heads.
Dazzling The Cameras
William showed up dressed to the nines in a Sean Connery-esque tuxedo. The world’s sexiest bald man was alls miles at an event close to the royal family’s heart. Middleton showed up glistening in a golden gown. She wouldn’t be out of place in No Time To Die itself.
Bond And Royals
One may question why the royals would attend a movie premiere in the first place. This is a valid question, and the answer is more cultural than anything else. James Bond is quintessentially British. In Hugh Grant’s monologue in Love Actually, Connery, and therefore Bond, is cited as something great about England, on par with Shakespeare and David Beckham.
Middleton also attended Wimbledon and Euro 2020, so a Bond premiere isn’t too far off from that. Therefore, it’s no surprise why the royals have always prioritized 007 movies.
The first James Bond premiere visit came in 1967 when Queen Elizabeth greeted Connery on the red carpet for You Only Live Twice. Princess Diana attended many herself, including 1986’s The Living Daylights. Queen Elizabeth also personally attended both Peirce Brosnan’s final turn and Daniel Craig’s first.
Parachuting In
The most well-known interaction between royalty and Bond has to be the 2012 Olympic Games. In a pretaped vignette, Bond personally ensures the safety of Elizabeth. He presided as she was parachuted into the arena, dogs in tow. This canonically makes Elizabeth one of the most high-profile Bond girls in history.
A Story Fianlly Proven False
Believe it or not, but the premiere of No Time To Die was the subject of one particular weird tabloid story. Last year, Star claimed Craig had personally forbidden Ben Affleck from attending the premiere with his then-girlfriend Ana de Armas, who co-stars in the film. It’s funny to read stories like this in hindsight. By the time this film actually came out, Armas and Affleck are a distant memory.