Stephen Fry praises Kate Middleton for supporting 'devastated' Prince William at Bafta Awards

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's presence at the Bafta Awards on Sunday night (12 February) was impossible to ignore, so the royals could expect host Stephen Fry to poke fun at them at some point during the evening.

Prince William – who is the president of Bafta – was jokingly mocked by Fry as he decided to bring up the royal's relation to EastEnders actor Danny Dyer.

After taking his seat next to his glamorous wife Kate Middleton, who looked dazzling in a floral gown by Alexander McQueen, the 59-year-old comedian couldn't help poke fun at the 34-year-old prince.

Referring to a recent revelation on the BBC show Who Do You Think You Are, Fry joked: "We are particularly pleased that the duchess is here as she will be a support to her husband – who after watching a recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are? – is still recovering from the devastating news that he is related to Danny Dyer."

The playful joke was met with a fit of giggles by both the duke and duchess, who looked embarrassed to be at the centre of attention in the star-studded crowd, but they were not the only people to be made fun of in the comedian's speech.

Fry also made a series of subtle references to President Trump, continuing to describe the crowd as "row after row of the most overrated people on the planet" following the president's former Twitter dig at actress Meryl Streep.

Fry went on to praise the 67-year-old actress, stating she is "one of the greatest actresses of all time."

He went on to quip: "Only a blithering idiot would think otherwise. I would say underrated to be honest."

The host was praised for his presenting skills on Twitter, as fans took to the social media sharing site to commend the star. One user even said: "Any chance you could Redress the balance and run For Prime Minister?" as another put: "once again amazing presenting of the BAFTA's. Just sorry it was spoilt by a luvvy political broadcast. So well done you Stephen".

A third added: "Amazing job last night @stephenfry, wonderful word play! xx!"

Another viewer continued: "brilliant host @BAFTA So funny & @girlontrainfilm joke re seeing a moving train lol - makes @T2Trainspotting easier now:-)"

La La Land was the main winner of the evening, sweeping six gongs at the prestigious awards ceremony held at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Following her Golden Globe and SAG wins, the film's lead actress Emma Stone won the coveted Best Actress award. Receiving the award from Eddie Redmayne, she said: "This is an unbelievable honour. This is one of the greatest working experiences of my life, and such a joy."

Like many of the presenters and the nominees, Stone used the platform to address the current turbulent state of world affairs.

She added: "I don't know if you realise this but this country and the US and the rest of the world seems to be going through a bit of a time. I think it's great that through Bafta we were able to come together to celebrate creativity that transcends borders."

See the full Bafta Awards 2017 winner list here.