Senior royals joined actor Daniel Craig and tennis star Emma Raducanu on the red carpet for James Bond’s long-awaited latest outing.
Craig told Sky News he is “greatly relieved” that the new 007 film, No Time To Die, is finally going to be shown in cinemas.
At the world premiere in London, the Bond star said: “We’ve had COVID so everything has to be put into perspective doesn’t it?
“I am greatly relieved: we make Bond movies for the cinema and we’re here and I couldn’t be happier about that.”
Image: Prince William and Kate at the world premiere in London
Image: (L-R) Cast members Lashana Lynch, Daniel Craig and Lea Seydoux
The 53-year-old arrived at the premiere in a dark pink suede dinner jacket over a white shirt and black bow tie.
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Several healthcare workers and members of the armed forces were joined by the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the premiere.
Charles, Camilla, William and Kate were on the red carpet, along with Craig and other members of the cast, including Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux and Lashana Lynch, at the Royal Albert Hall.
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Image: British tennis player Emma Raducanu swapped the green grass of Wimbledon for the red carpet
Image: Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Raducanu, who won the US Open earlier this month, left the practice courts behind to attend the star-studded screening.
Also at the event were screenwriters Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and singer Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell, who co-wrote the new Bond theme song, as well as producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and director Cary Joji Fukunaga.
No Time To Die is the 25th Bond film and it will be the final movie featuring Craig as 007.
It has been delayed for more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic but will be released in UK cinemas on Thursday.
Image: Cast member Ana de Armas
Image: Fellow cast member Rami Malek was also at the screening
The world premiere will benefit charities supporting serving and former members of the UK’s 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.
Image: The Prince of Wales speaks to Daniel Craig
Image: Phoebe Waller-Bridge at the Royal Albert Hall in London
Image: Singer Billie Eilish speaks to the media during the world premiere
No Time To Die sees Bond enjoying a quiet life in Jamaica having left active service when his old friend from the CIA Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, turns up and asks for his help.
Image: Footballer Harry Kane and his wife Katie Goodland at the premiere
Image: Rory Kinnear attended the screening
A mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist becomes far more treacherous than expected and leads to a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
Image: Dame Judi Dench at the Royal Albert Hall
Several Bond premieres have taken place at the Royal Albert Hall.
For 2015’s Spectre, William and Kate and the Duke of Sussex attended the event.
Post-pandemic Bond premiere looks rather different, says arts and entertainment producer Jayson Mansaray
Things looked a little different at the biggest premiere London has seen post-pandemic.
There was no media scrum – far fewer crews than would usually be accommodated were spaced out with a strict policy of 1.5 metres between them and the cast being interviewed, with everyone off-camera wearing black masks to fit with the black-tie dress code.
Instead of the usual autograph hunters and fans hungrily waiting behind barriers for the stars, NHS workers and the armed forces were invited to attend the red carpet, see the film and meet the cast.
Talking ahead of the premiere, the franchise’s producer Barbara Broccoli stressed that these were the heroes, not just James Bond.
The day had been filled with glorious sunshine that gave way suddenly to greying skies as clouds released their rain forcing media and crew alike to scurry for shelter and cover electrical equipment.
Still, stars of the film including Rami Malik, Lashana Lynch and Naomie Harris braved the very British weather for the premiere.
Daniel Craig, proving that he may not have as fractious a relationship with the press as we have been led to believe, kindly telling us to “stay dry”.
Alongside the star power of the lead actors there was no shortage of excitement with props like cars, motorbikes and a giant silver 007 sitting prominently near the entrance to the Royal Albert Hall.
Giant screens projected clips from the latest film as Bond songs by Sam Smith, Adele and the latest pop star to take the lead – Billie Eilish – played out on speakers.
Celebrity guests including Stormzy and Jason Momoa were among those heading down the red carpet, and will be among the first to see this Bond film – arguably the most anticipated ever thanks to release delays, Craig’s final outing and the secrecy shrouding the movie.
No mean feat in a world where script leaks and promo tours mean we usually know what to expect long before we get in front of the big screen.
Tonight may have been a very British goodbye, with the weather refusing to play ball. But with a real sense of occasion and, of course, the royal seal of approval. it was also fittingly glamorous for the Bond who dragged 007 into the 21st century, redefining how we see the franchise.
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
Image: The fire gutted the main stage
Image: Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Image: Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
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The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Image: Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
An American Idol TV executive and her husband have been found dead in their LA home.
Robin Kaye was a music supervisor on the long-running reality TV series.
The bodies of the 70-year-old and her husband Thomas were discovered after officers conducted a welfare check at their home.
Both had died from gunshot wounds.
Image: Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas. Pic: Facebook
Detectives say Raymond Boodarian has been arrested in connection with their deaths.
It is alleged the 22-year-old had burgled their property while they were away on 10 July – killing the couple upon their return.
According to Los Angeles Police, there were “no signs of forced entry or trouble” at the property.
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Ms Kaye was an industry veteran – and had previously worked on shows including Lip Sync Battle and The Singing Bee, as well as several Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
In a statement, an American Idol spokesperson said: “Robin has been a cornerstone of the Idol family since 2009 and was truly loved and respected by all who came in contact with her.
“Robin will remain in our hearts forever and we share our deepest sympathy with her family and friends during this difficult time.”
Huge steel fences have been erected to prevent ticketless fans from watching the Oasis reunion tour in Manchester.
Liam and Noel Gallagher will resume their sold-out run of shows – their first since 2009 – with a performance at Heaton Park tonight, and two more on Saturday and Sunday.
While tens of thousands bought tickets for Oasis’sfirst two shows last weekend, crowds gathered to glimpse the large screens above the stage in the distance – in an area dubbed “Gallagher Hill” by some on social media.
Image: People walk past a temporary security fence erected ahead of concerts by Oasis in Heaton Park on 1 July. Reuters file pic
Manchester City Council has now said more steel fences have been erected around parts of the park to prevent ticketless fans from watching the gigs, and to protect nature in the park.
“After taking stock of how the first two nights went, additional measures have now been deemed necessary and will be in place for the next three concerts,” it said.
“The erection of the fencing has a dual purpose – both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there.
“The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”
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Friday: Excited fans at Oasis homecoming gig
The fences will cover a large area of the hill within the park’s cattle field, which is being developed as a new woodland area with around 300 young trees planted.
The council added that there would be no facilities for people without a ticket, and said the event area is “double-walled with solid high security fencing all the way round”.
More than 2,000 event security staff and police officers will also be on duty around the site “to ensure both the safety and wellbeing of ticket-holders and that only those who have tickets access the concert”, it said.
John Hacking, the council’s executive member for employment, skills and leisure, also said in a statement that “unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place”.
He added: “Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead.
“The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time.
“We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy, whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”