No Time To Die: Royals, 007 and special guests attend long-awaited Bond premiere
28 September 2021, 18:19 | Updated: 28 September 2021, 19:46
Royals arrive at No Time To Die premiere
The long-awaited premiere of the latest Bond film, No Time To Die, is underway at the Royal Albert Hall, with royals, 007 himself and some very special guests in attendance.
The film is Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond, after starring in four previous films.
Alongside the cast of the film, Charles, Camilla, William and Kate, all took to the red carpet, with the Duchess of Cambridge stepping up to the occasion in a sparkling gold dress.
Other household names in attendance included tennis star Emma Raducanu and rapper Stormzy, who responded "nahhh" when asked if he would be the next Bond.
Daniel Craig comments on his last appearance as Bond
In recognition of their work during the pandemic, key workers and members of the armed forces have been invited to the world premiere.
"It's been very important to us not just to celebrate the fictional hero of James Bond but also the real life heroes who have gotten us through the last 18 months... so glad that they are here," producer Barbara Broccoli OBE said.
Read more: James Bond lookalike dangles from London Eye in daring stunt ahead of premiere
Bond producer 'in denial' over Daniel Craig departure
Arriving on the red carpet in a red velvet jacket, Mr Craig told LBC he has “learnt so much from doing these movies... working with the brilliant people I get to work with”.
“It’ll take me a while to unpack all of this”, he said, adding he’ll “find a way” to keep challenging himself, as he moves onto working on other films.
Ms Broccoli added that she was "in denial" over Mr Craig's departure. "He's done everything, he's reconceived the Bond legacy for the 21st-century...he's perfect, he's the perfect Bond."
The film is the 25th in the series and is directed by Emmy-award-winning Cary Joji Fukunaga, who has previously directed HBO drama True Detective.
The film was first set to be released in November 2019 but was repeatedly postponed due to the pandemic.
Amongst the screenplay writers are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who has won numerous awards for starring and writing comedies Fleabag and Killing Eve.
“I just came as they asked me to, just to look at the thing as a whole, look at each character individually, how they interacted with each other, where the story can have a bit more wit or twist in it,” she told LBC.
“It’s just breathtaking the amount of artistry that goes into every single element of this filmmaking process...It’s just epic.”
Phoebe Waller Bridge talks writing the new James Bond film
Ahead of the premiere, a man dressed as James Bond was seen dangling from a pod on the London Eye in a daring stunt.
The man, understood to be a maintenance worker for the attraction, was suspended hundreds of feet above the ground as he climbed up a ladder on the wheel in central London.
Bond lookalike performs daring stunt on London Eye ahead of film premiere
