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No Time to Die: Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Cambridges arrive at James Bond premiere

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales arrive at the world premiere of No Time to Die
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales arrive at the world premiere of No Time to Die

The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived at the world premiere of the new Bond film No Time To Die, in a rare joint royal engagement on the red carpet.

The quartet, who generally only appear together at family occasions, met 007 star Daniel Craig and other cast members including Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux and Lashana Lynch at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The royal foursome were due to be introduced to screenwriters Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and singer Billie Eilish and her musician brother Finneas O'Connell, who co-wrote the new Bond theme song.

The Duchess of Cambridge arrives on the red carpet
The Duchess of Cambridge arrives on the red carpet
The Prince of Wales meets some of the cast including Ana de Armas at the Royal Albert Hall
The Prince of Wales meets some of the cast including Ana de Armas at the Royal Albert Hall
The Duchess of Cambridge in animated conversation with Lashana Lynch - Chris Jackson
The Duchess of Cambridge in animated conversation with Lashana Lynch - Chris Jackson
The Duchess of Cornwall meets the 007 actor Daniel Craig - Chris Jackson Collection
The Duchess of Cornwall meets the 007 actor Daniel Craig - Chris Jackson Collection

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived first, driven down the red carpet in a fleet of Range Rovers past one of the Bond Aston Martin cars from the film, in front of a crowd.

The Duchess dazzled in a sweeping floor-length golden gown by Jenny Packham, while the Duchess of Cornwall - arriving shortly afterwards - coordinated in a pale blue corseted chiffon dress, with silver embroidery by Bruce Oldfield.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were driven part of the way down the red carpet in a state Bentley before being taken inside to meet the actors and screenwriters.

BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Phoebe Waller-Bridge commented on the Duchess of Cambridge’s outfit remarking “wow” when she walked into the line up to, with Daniel Craig remarking “you look jolly lovely”.

The royals were greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa and introduced to producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

A number of healthcare workers and members of the armed forces will join the Royal Family in the hall to watch the film as a “thank you” for their work during the Covid pandemic.

No Time To Die faced more than a year of delays due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but is being released in UK cinemas on Thursday.

Daniel Craig poses for photographers upon arrival
Daniel Craig poses for photographers upon arrival
Cast members Lashana Lynch and Daniel Craig share a joke at the premiere
Cast members Lashana Lynch and Daniel Craig share a joke at the premiere
Ana de Armas, who plays CIA agent Paloma, poses in front of James Bond's iconic Aston Martin
Ana de Armas, who plays CIA agent Paloma, poses in front of James Bond's iconic Aston Martin
Emma Raducanu is among the celebrity guests at the premiere
Emma Raducanu is among the celebrity guests at the premiere

The world premiere will benefit charities supporting serving and former members of the three intelligence agencies - the Secret Intelligence Service, the Security Service and GCHQ - as well as charities supporting past and present members of the UK Special Forces.

Prince Charles is patron of the British Film Institute, while his elder son Prince William is president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta).

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the star-studded world premiere for the last Bond film, Spectre, in 2015, with Prince Harry.

Prince Harry, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William arrive for the world premiere of Spectre in 2015
Prince Harry, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William arrive for the world premiere of Spectre in 2015

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attended the world premiere of the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall, in 2012. Before the Covid-19 lockdown, they also walked the red carpet to watch war film 1917, in November 2019.

In June 2019, Prince Charles visited the Bond film set at Pinewood, chatting to Daniel Craig and viewing one of eight Aston Martin DB5s - the classic Bond car from the 1960s - built especially.

The joint film premiere outing is likely to be seen as a sign of collaboration and solidarity between the future king and his eldest son.

No Time To Die takes place after Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, from the CIA turns up asking for help.

A mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading to a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Earlier on Tuesday a stunt man dressed as James Bond climbed a ladder hanging from the London Eye ahead of the premiere.

A man dressed as James Bond hangs from a pod on the London Eye ahead of the world premiere of No Time To Die
A man dressed as James Bond hangs from a pod on the London Eye ahead of the world premiere of No Time To Die

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga described the premiere as a "momentous occasion".

Speaking on the red carpet, he told the PA news agency: "With any kind of great momentous occasion there are many emotions taking place.

"All of us are very excited to finally be sharing the film with audiences. But obviously there is a lot of sadness about it being Daniel's last film.

"I think also about all the hard work that went into it, we can breathe a sigh of relief."

Asked about the inclusion of complex female roles, he added: "I think Daniel's Bond is already very different from previous Bonds and Barbara Broccoli remains successful because she reflects the world.

"I think in this one there aren't any huge surprises but we made sure the women have more than one dimension."

Lea Seydoux braved the London rain to attend the premiere and said she had mixed emotions about Craig's 007 swansong.

Lea Seydoux
Lea Seydoux

The French actress, who is reprising the role of Madeleine Swann in No Time To Die, told the PA news agency: "I'm really, really happy the film is finally coming out, even if it's raining. And tonight will be very emotional because it is Daniel's last film. I'm a bit sad and happy at the same time."

Seydoux also starred alongside Craig in 2015's Spectre and described her time with the Bond franchise as an "amazing journey".

"I'm really, really happy and I feel very lucky," she told PA, adding: "It's time now to celebrate."

Seydoux, 36, welcomed No Time To Die's arrival in cinemas following the chaos wrought by the pandemic.

She said: "Cinema is one of the greatest art forms. We need it and I'm happy this film is coming out in cinemas. It's such a relief and a joy."