Prince William is meeting the next generation of filmmakers.
As the world of British screen world prepares to honor its best at the annual BAFTA awards on Sunday, Feb. 15, the Prince of Wales visited a unique college where budding filmmakers are taking their first creative steps toward a possible career.
Prince William, 42, met senior students at the London Screen Academy, where skills that are useful for film production, costume, editing and animation are taught alongside more traditional subjects.
In a break with recent tradition, William, who is President of BAFTA, will not be at the awards show on Sunday. He chose his visit on Feb. 12 to highlight the young people who one day might be on that red carpet for that glamorous night.
Prince William met students taking part in a “Collaboration Project,” which sees 17 and 18-year-old students transform the school into a film set as they learn craft, technical, post-production and production management.
William immersed himself in each of the sectors the young people were working in to create this year’s film, Melomania. He met the hair and make-up teams, was shown how the costumes were created and helped shoot part of the film.
With William and Kate Middleton not attending the BAFTA awards night in London, aides say that the Prince of Wales wants his focus this year to be on highlighting the next generation of talent which is coming through academies and colleges like the London one all across the U.K.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Next week is the half-term break from school for the couple’s three children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — and the family will likely be spending time together for the holiday.
Prince William’s outing comes during a busy period of royal visits by the couple. On Feb. 11, the Princess of Wales, 43, headed to a prison in Cheshire to see the work being done in the mother and baby unit to help nurture infants and their moms in a challenging environment. Kate, who announced on Jan. 14 that she is in “remission” from cancer, “just naturally helped the women to feel relaxed,” Amanda Taylor, Action for Children’s Operational Director of Children’s Services, told PEOPLE.
“One of the women found it hard to talk and she spent some time with her at the end, talking to her one to one. She is very skilled at making people feel comfortable. These are very vulnerable women in a difficult situation.”
Read the full article here