Prince William at London Premiere of Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [PHOTOS]

Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, was at the London premiere of Sir Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. His wife, Kate Middleton, meanwhile, is believed to be resting well at St James' Palace, after recovering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, an acute form of morning sickness. Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, has been confirmed as being pregnant with the couple's first child together.

Wiliam wore a double-breasted tuxedo to the green carpet and admitted his wife would have loved to have been present as well. The Duke also spoke to the film's director and some members of the cast, including Sir Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis and Cate Blanchett.

The premiere was held in aid of The Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund, which supports industry employees during times of hardship. Debbie Chalet, one of the fund's trustees, said she was pleased Prince William made the effort to support the film, despite his wife's illness.

"I said to William, 'Thank you for taking the time to come and be here tonight' because I'm sure he wants to be at home making sure Kate's okay," she said.

The Duchess has missed four events in total over the past two weeks and William said she was finding the sickness difficult to deal with. He was quoted as saying: "I don't know why they call it morning sickness - they should call it all day and all night sickness."

JRR Tolkien's Hobbits

Meanwhile, the film is based on a 1937 novel, The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien. The book narrates the adventures of a hobbit (a fictional humanoid race) called Bilbo Baggins, as he travels in search of treasure stole by a dragon called Smaug.

Academy Award-winning Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who plays the role of elf queen Galadriel, was in attendance at the evening, in an open-backed and high-necked winter-white Givenchy Spring 2013 gown with long sleeves, and a side slit, with gold metal accents on both shoulders and inside the cuffs. She combined the gown with a white Givenchy envelope clutch and Givenchy Spring 2013 fashion-forward heels.

Incidentally, the film was also included in the shortlist of possible nominees for the 2013 Academy Awards, in the Best Visual Effect category. It will compete with The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, Cloud Atlas, John Carter, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Prometheus and Snow White and the Huntsman.

Check out photographs of the celebrities who arrived at the premiere of the film...