Spectre star Naomie Harris has said she is looking forward to a red carpet reunion with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the film’s world premiere tonight.
Harris and her co-stars including Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ben Whishaw and Ralph Fiennes will meet Prince William, his wife Kate and Prince Harry ahead of the screening of the latest 007 adventure at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
They will be joined by the franchise’s newcomers Andrew Scott, Dave Bautista and Bond girls Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci, along with the film’s director Sam Mendes, and producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
The 39-year-old actress said: “I actually met them before because they attended the premiere for The Walk To Freedom, where I played Winnie Mandela.
“They're absolutely lovely and so charming and so brilliant at their jobs, they know exactly what to say and all the questions to ask and make you feel so comfortable and I think they're brilliant ambassadors for the country. They didn't mention Bond then - we talked about the film and their experience of Mandela.”
The 24th James Bond film, directed by Skyfall’s Mendes, will be graced by the royal presence after it was selected for the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund’s Royal Film Performance 2015.
Spectre, the 24th instalment in the 007 franchise, is the third Bond film chosen for the Royal Film Performance since its inception in 1946, following previous premieres for Die Another Day (2002) and Skyfall (2012).
Harris, who reprises her role as Eve Moneypenny, admitted the cast are unlikely to mingle with the royals at the film’s afterparty.
She said: “I don't think so sadly. We're all off to Zurich the next day to do another premiere, so I think we'll all be tucked up into bed straight away.”
For the first time, the new Bond film will open in cinemas throughout the UK on the same day as the premiere.