The Story Behind that Viral Photo of Prince William Meeting Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Sophie Wilde and Mia McKenna Bruce

rince William, Prince of Wales, president of Bafta meets EE Rising Stars Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Sophie Wilde and Mia McKenna Bruce after the Bafta Film Awards. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Apparently, there's a story behind that viral photo of Prince William awkwardly meeting Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Sophie Wilde and Mia McKenna-Bruce after the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards.

After attending this year's BAFTA Awards sans his wife, Princess Kate—who is still recovering from abdominal surgery—the Prince of Wales met the 2024 EE Rising Star nominees.

McKenna-Bruce took home the award for her performance in the 2023 coming-of-age drama How To Have Sex, in which she plays a victim of sexual assault. The film's cast had previously stated that they all collectively hope the movie will help "re-educate men about" and continue the ongoing conversation surrounding consent.

According to The Daily Mail, upon greeting McKenna-Bruce the Prince of Wales allegedly said: "I haven't yet watched your film—I think it looked like you had a lot of fun all the way through."

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Given the subject matter and what McKenna-Bruce's character endures, Prince William's alleged comments is likely to have led to the photo of the reportedly awkward encounter.

Prince William, Prince of Wales, president of Bafta meets EE Rising Stars Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Sophie Wilde and Mia McKenna Bruce after the Bafta Film Awards 2024 — Prince William, Prince of Wales, president of Bafta meets EE Rising Stars Phoebe Dynevor, Ayo Edebiri, Sophie Wilde and Mia McKenna-Bruce after the Bafta Film Awards 2024.

The Daily Mail goes on to report that the Prince of Wales then shook hands with Edebiri, Dynevor and Wilde, while also admitting that he had not seen any of their films, either.

"The category was so strong, all of you," Prince William is reported to have told the nominees. "It was like, 'Who is going to pull this off?' It was incredible. It was very close between all of you."

McKenna-Bruce responded to Prince William's comments by allegedly urging him to watch her film, How To Have Sex.

"I've to a lot of films to catch up on," Prince William is said to have responded. "Normally I get quiet ahead of the awards ceremony. I get to see quite a few of them. I haven't managed to get that many through."

In what could have arguably been Prince William's second gaffe of the evening, the Prince of Wales also admitted that he had yet to watch the highest-grossing movie of 2023.

“I haven’t watched Barbie yet," Prince William admitted after praising another box-office hit, Oppenheimer.

"I want to," he added.

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Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.