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OtherPrince & Princess of Wales

Duke of Cambridge presents Sir David Attenborough with award for his long and illustrious career

The Duke of Cambridge was kept very busy this past weekend. Along with his engagements commemorating the Remembrance weekend, he also attended and presented at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards on Sunday evening at London’s Old Vic Theatre. The Duke honoured 90-year-old, British naturalist and broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough with the Beyond Theatre award to celebrate over 60 years of wildlife programming.

Before handing out the award, Prince William said: “The recipient of a particular award tonight has shaped the culture of this country and the way we look at the world. But he is best known as a presenter of nature documentaries and as a conservationist, whose memorable romps with gorillas go hand in hand with a deep concern for the natural world.”

Sir David is the only person to receive BAFTAs for programmes in black and white, colour, HD, and 3D. The national treasure, alongside the BBC’s Natural History unit, revolutionised the way natural history was filmed.

The 90-year-old received a standing ovation from Sir Elton John and other A-listers attending the ceremony. Some of whom included the likes of Welsh comedian Rob Brydon, James McAvoy, Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Joan Collins.

During his acceptance speech, he acknowledged the professionals and colleagues who “wield” the cameras: “In recent years it has become the fashion to do the last minutes of a wildlife show by showing how the programmes are made – and not before time.

“Because at last you can see the credit for those kind of programmes, among not the people who put their faces in front of the camera, or indeed behind it, but the people who actually wield the cameras.”

This is the 62nd Evening Standard Theatre Awards, with the first ceremony being held in 1955. Owner of The Standard, The Independent & London Live, Evgeny Lebedev, hosted the event where 13 awards were handed out for theatre performances over this past year. Some of the other winners included: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Ralph Fiennes and Billie Piper.

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