Prince Philip honoured in BAFTA's tribute: 'He will be missed'

The late Prince Philip, who passed away aged 99 last Friday, has been honoured with a touching tribute at the star-studded 74th British Academy Film Awards in London.

BAFTAs hosts Dermot O'Leary and Edith Bowman opened the evening event at the Royal Albert Hall by addressing the Duke of Edinburgh's death.

"Before we start tonight we want to say that on behalf of BAFTA, we are extremely saddened by the passing of his royal highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on Friday," Dermot said.

"The Duke was BAFTA's very first president over 60 years ago and was the first royal patron, a line that goes all the way through to BAFTA's current president, his grandson the Duke of Cambridge," he added.

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Edith went on to recognise both Prince Philip and his wife, The Queen for their continued support of the BAFTA charity which has hosted its own awards ceremony each year since 1948.

"It was Prince Philip and Her Majesty The Queen's support throughout these years that in many ways allowed BAFTA, a leading charity in the arts, to continue in difficult times and to be here today in 2021.

"The Duke of Edinburgh occupies a very special place in BAFTA history and he will be missed. Our thoughts are with the royal family."

A 'special place'

In 1959, Prince Philip became the president of the BAFTA's predecessor, the Society of Film and Television Arts (SFTA) which held its inaugural meeting at Buckingham Palace.

He was on hand to present awards at the 1963 ceremony, two years before his tenure as president ended after which the duke and the Queen continued to provide support.

It was their decision to donate their share of the profits from the 1969 documentary, Royal Family that facilitated the relocation of the academy's headquarters to Piccadilly, London in 1976.

Prince Philip's legacy lives on through his grandson, Prince William who has held the title of president since 2010. The Duke of Cambridge was expected to attend Sunday's event and deliver a speech but plans changed following his grandfather's death.

"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," BAFTA said in a statement.

BAFTA's best dressed

Despite COVID-19 restrictions keeping many stars away from the BAFTAs red carpet in London, the red carpet fashion didn't disappoint.

Whether they attended in person or virtually from around the globe, here are the best-dressed celebs from the night.

Phoebe Dynevor

Dominique Fishback

Hugh Grant and wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein

Anna Kendrick

Niamh Algar

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Priyanka Chopra Jonas with her husband Nick Jonas

Cynthia Erivo

Celeste

Wunmi Mosaku

Felicity Jones

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