Well, that was awkward. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts award show took place on Sunday, February 3, and Brad Pitt won yet again for the title of Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He was not there to accept it, but Margot Robbie gave a speech on his behalf, and Brad/Margot made a joke about Prince Harry stepping away from his royal duties — with his brother, Prince William, and Duchess Kate (née Middleton) in attendance.

“He starts by saying, ‘Hey Britain. Heard you just became single. Welcome to the club! Wishing you the best for the divorce settlement, blah blah blah,” Margot, 29, joked in Brad’s BAFTAs acceptance speech. “He says he’s ‘always been a bit intimidated over here given the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and the titans that have come before, so this is especially meaningful.’”

Margot ended the speech by quipping, “He’s gonna name this Harry, because he’s really excited about bringing it back to the states with him.” As the audience laughed, she quickly added, “His words, not mine, thanks,” and the camera quickly panned to Prince Wiliam, 37, and Kate, 38, in the crowd. To be fair, the couple seemed to take it in stride. They both clearly laughed at the speech, if a bit awkwardly.

william and kate at the baftas
BBC

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, took to Instagram on January 8 to reveal that they planned to take a step back from some of their duties as royals. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” they announced.

Since then, a lot has happened. The Queen released a statement about the decision and seemed to be in support of it, saying, “I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family.” And there’s a good chance the couple will spend most of their time in North America  — possibly Canada — hence the BAFTA joke.

Princess Diana’s former assistant Paul Burrell thinks the duo will likely never return to their roles and told In Touch exclusively that “Once [they’re] out,” it would be extremely difficult “to reverse the process.” So these sorts of jokes might just be something that Prince William and Kate will have to get used to.

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