When one Oscar-winning actress was awarded her damehood at Buckingham Palace, her bold request of Prince William left the royal bashful and laughing
Iconic British actress Emma Thompson has had several memorable encounters with Prince William over the years, including being asked to be a presenter at the first annual Earthshot Prize Awards, and a hilarious video call between the unlikely pals.
But arguably the most unforgettable moment they shared happened in 2018, when Thompson was invited to Buckingham Palace to receive her damehood for her outstanding contribution to the arts and entertainment.
Reflecting on the moment while on the press tour for her 2021 film Cruella, she revealed that she cheekily asked William for a kiss. Speaking via a video link, Ms Thompson joked about her unique request to Prince William, who has a knack for forging friendships with A-list film stars , as he handed over her award.
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She explained: “Prince William was absolutely fantastic. I wrote him a fan letter afterwards. His face and body language, so kind and generous to every single person. I’ve known him since he was little really. I’ve always liked him.
“I couldn’t believe how tall he’d got. I did say, ‘I suppose I better not kiss you’ and he said, ‘Probably better not.’ I asked him about him and he said, ‘Will you please stop talking about me, it’s about you.’ What a nice man.”
Both William and Princess Kate had another memorable moment with the actress several years ago, as the Waleses spoke with Emma Thompson and her Cruella co-star Emma Stone in a video call.
The group discussed plans to host NHS Charities Together and NHS staff at a unique drive-in cinema screening of the new film at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and got side-tracked as they joked about behind the scenes secrets.
Speaking to the couple ahead of the screening, Thompson said: “Wait till you see the clothes, it’s unbelievable.” Then, gesturing to Kate, the actress said “you’re going to want all of Emily’s [Emma Stone’s] clothes, they’re so amazing. Obviously you won’t be able to wear them in public but they’re so brilliant.”
Thompson – who played the role of The Baroness in the film – also shared an excellent story with the royal couple about the time she didn’t want to wait in the traffic and decided to travel on the London Underground in her eccentric movie costume.
She revealed: “One day when we were shooting there was a demonstration on in London and our car couldn’t get to where we were shooting in Covent Garden so I said we’ve got to get out and we’ve got to go by Tube.
“I was in a wig and huge make-up, you’ll see my eyelashes, I look like a llama. And we got on the Tube to go to Covent Garden and I thought it’s going to be fine, it’s 9 o’clock Sunday morning, there won’t be anyone on the train. It was rammed, rammed and no-one took the slightest bit of notice, they all clearly thought I was a drag act on the way home!”
Kate then asked the pair whether or not Cruella was a fun film to shoot, with Emma Stone revealing: “It was so much fun, we were all over London, we were in front of Liberty.
“They transformed Carnaby Street into 70s London which was amazing and then we were in front of Buckingham Palace at one point. I was riding a motorcycle around The Mall.”
Prince William joked that “we should have had you stopped, Emma, that’s very dangerous!”