Stepping out for the lone black tie affair of their Stateside visit, Prince William and Kate Middleton were the main attraction at the BAFTA Brits To Watch event in Los Angeles, California on Saturday night (July 9).
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge received a warm welcome at the Belasco Theatre as they joined a star-studded guest list including Hollywood mainstays such as Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Blake Lively, Jennifer Garner, Ed Westwick, Elizabeth Banks, Jack Black, Zooey Deschanel and Tom Hanks, among many others.
During the swanky affair, William opened the gala with an instructional speech about "what he hopes to achieve for the evening" before he and the duchess briefly met the 42 honorees in a private reception area.
Of Will partaking in the event, the organization's chief executive, Amanda Berry, said, "What he does for us is when he can attend an event he absolutely does, and he couldn't be doing more for us this weekend being part of this event. He's very philanthropic, so we meet regularly to try to support each other. He's lovely and a very down-to-earth, easy individual to get on with."
Continuing to detail the purpose of the BAFTA Brits To Watch event, Miss Berry added, "Some of the people we're honoring have more credits who are just starting to have an international career, but many are students we've identified with a real spark. Directors will sit next to directors, actors will sit with actors, and hopefully they'll make introductions. We've given them all briefing packets and they're very excited. We've got the most fantastic industry audience in the room that it's a real opportunity for them to meet inspirational people who can impact their careers."
