Brad Pitt takes a swipe at Prince Harry leaving Kate and Will fuming

Brad Pitt has taken a swipe at the royal family said in the presence of the future king of England.

The Hollywood actor made a joke at Prince Harry's expense in his acceptance speech at the BAFTAs in London.

But the actor was absent having reportedly missed his flight to the UK, so his Once Upon A Time in Hollywood co-star Margot Robbie gave the speech on his behalf.

And it included a very awkward comment that left Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, with surprised looks on their faces.

Robbie – in reading Pitt's acceptance speech for best supporting actor – said: "He's going to name it 'Harry' 'cos he's really excited about bringing it back to the States with him".

She quickly added, "his words, not mine" while the crowd visibly reacted.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, at first, did not look impressed at Pitt's joke when the camera panned to them seated in the front row. But they quickly saw the funny side and laughed along with the crowd.

Many viewers watching the BAFTAs seemingly found Pitt's cheeky quip hilarious.

Harry and his wife Meghan are currently in Canada after announcing they'll be splitting their time between the UK and North America, having stepped down from royal duties.

They are reportedly in the market for a summer home in LA, and are rumoured to be spending the American summer in Meghan's home city.

And it was not the only comment about the royal family's recent dramas that had guests squirming in their seats.

Australian actress Rebel Wilson decided to mention Prince Andrew's name when presenting the award for best director.

"It's really great to be here at the Royal Andrew... Royal Albert Hall," Wilson said.

The crowd laughed but the joke did appear to fall a little flat due to Prince William and Kate's presence.

Prince Andrew has withdrawn from all royal duties after his disastrous Newsnight interview about his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, in November. He's only been seen in public once since the fallout.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are at the BAFTAs for their fourth consecutive year. This year marks Prince William's 10th year as President of BAFTA.

Kate wore a gown first seen during her and William's South East Asia tour of Malaysia in 2012, in keeping with the event's sustainability theme.