Prince William's priceless reaction to fan's comment on the red carpet

Prince William has reacted in the best possible way when royal fans paid him a rare compliment on the red carpet.

The Duke of Cambridge had only just arrived at the BAFTAs when he and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, were targeted by fans who had braved London's chilly weather outside the Royal Albert Hall.

They were lined up along the red carpet, watching the celebrities arrive when Prince William and Kate passed them by.

The group was visibly taken aback by Kate's shimmering white and gold Alexander McQueen gown, that she first wore in Malaysia in 2012.

As the royal couple passed them, the fans yelled out their admiration to the duchess:

"Kate, you look beautiful"

"You look lovely"

"Oh, you look so beautiful"

Kate reacted by looking towards the group, smiling and thanking the crowd as she continued walking. William kept his gaze straight ahead.

But they didn't want the Duke of Cambridge to feel left out, so one of the men in the group called: "And so do you Will".

The comment caused Prince William to quickly turn around and laugh, saying in reply, "Oh thanks guys. Thank you".

Both he and Kate had a chuckle at the cheeky comment as they continued to walk towards the entrance of the venue.

William's outfit was a recycled black tuxedo in keeping with the event's sustainability theme. Although his look didn't get the attention Kate's did, he seemed to appreciate the show of support.

The Duchess of Cambridge chose her custom-made Alexander McQueen gown, first worn when she and William visited the royal palace in Kuala Lumpur during the Golden Jubilee tour of South East Asia. The dress features embroidered gold hibiscus – the national flower of Malaysia.

Kate accessorised the gown with jewellery previously not seen on the duchess. She chose gold and mother-of-pearl earrings, and a matching necklace, by Van Cleef & Arpels, worth approximately $14k AUD.

Inside, William presented the Fellowship Award – the highest honour at the BAFTAs – to film producer Kathleen Kennedy.

He used his speech to call out the lack of diversity in the awards circuit, saying it "simply cannot be right".

"Both here in the UK and in many other countries across the world, we are lucky to have incredible film makers, actors, producers, directors and technicians – men and women from all backgrounds and ethnicities enriching our lives through film," Prince William told the audience.

"Yet in 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process – that simply cannot be right in this day and age.

"I know Pippa [Harris] and Amanda [Berry] share that frustration. BAFTA take this issue seriously, and following this year's nominations have launched a full review… to ensure the opportunities are available to everyone."