Velvet Signaling: William and Kate Use BAFTA Appearance to Show Royal Unity

Prince William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, attended the BAFTAs in coordinated burgundy velvet outfits as a deliberate display of royal unity amid scrutiny following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest. Their carefully chosen palette and coordinated fashion—part of Catherine’s long-running Pantone diplomacy and sustainability through rewearing—signal a controlled public image and continuity for the monarchy, in their first BAFTAs together since Catherine’s cancer treatment.