News
TRH attend the World Premiere of Alice in Wonderland in aid of The Prince's Foundation for Children and The Arts
25th February 2010
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended a charity film premiere of Alice in Wonderland this evening.
The screening was being held in aid of a charity founded by The Prince of Wales - The Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts - which offers youngsters the chance to access the best the arts world has to offer.
The organisation is one of The Prince’s Charities – a group of not-for-profit bodies of which The Prince is President.
The new 3D adventure, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, was being screened for the first time at The Odeon in Leicester Square, and the whole area had been transformed into a wonderland for the occasion.
The movie features Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Australian rising star Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Little Britain star Matt Lucas who plays Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
Director Burton, famed for his unusual and unconventional movies, had his own take on the main character of his movie.
Burton described Alice as "quietly confused" about her life which is why she goes down a rabbit hole.
A host of British stars provided the voices for Wonderland's magical inhabitants, including Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat, Alan Rickman as Absolem the caterpillar, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Paul Whitehouse as the March Hare, Timothy Spall as Bayard, Barbara Windsor as the Dormouse and Sir Christopher Lee as the Jabberwocky.
The Duchess dressed for the occasion in a flowing blue silk Vivienne Westwood dress and the designer was among the celebrities to greet The Prince and The Duchess.
Their Royal Highnesses chatted to the British actors and Hollywood stars for around ten minutes before the screening began.
The Prince asked Depp whether he was coming into the movie theatre to watch his film then added "You don't mind watching yourself?" to which the Hollywood star replied "I normally don't".
When asked about the filming process the actor, who wore a dark suit and white open-necked shirt, said: "It wasn't too bad, not too stressful."
Lucas described to the prince how he was able to play two characters at once - Tweedledum and Tweedledee - who featured on the comic's jacket.
He said: "We had another actor and they put my face on his body".
The Duchess chatted to the all the stars and spoke to Windsor about leaving the popular TV soap EastEnders.
Earlier the actress had told the waiting press that cast and crew got through the recent live show by the "skin of our teeth".