Entertainment

Harry and Meghan join Beyonce and Jay-Z at Lion King premiere

The duchess wore a black dress and heels with her hair swept up.
The duchess wore a black dress and heels with her hair swept up. The duchess wore a black dress and heels with her hair swept up.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined Beyonce and Jay-Z for a star-studded night out at the European premiere of The Lion King.

The famous couples greeted each other warmly, with Meghan and Beyonce sharing a hug.

Meghan held the singer’s hand affectionately, with Beyonce saying: “We love you guys.”

The couples appeared to chat about their children, with Jay-Z telling new father Harry: “Always find some time for yourself.”

Disney’s photorealistic computer-animated remake of the beloved 1994 classic boasts a star-studded cast, including Donald Glover as king-in-waiting Simba and Beyonce voicing his love interest Nala.

Former actress Meghan, who is on maternity leave following the birth of son Archie, spent time meeting the waiting public as she arrived with her husband in London’s Leicester Square.

European Premiere of The Lion King – London
European Premiere of The Lion King – London The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive (Niklas Halle’n/PA)

The royal couple walked the yellow carpet to the tune of Can You Feel The Love Tonight.

The duchess wore a black dress and heels with her hair swept up.

Harry and Meghan chatted with a dazzling array of stars including Beyonce, Sir Elton John, Seth Rogen and Pharrell Williams.

Disney’s The Lion King European Premiere – London
Disney’s The Lion King European Premiere – London Stars of the new Lion King movie (Ian West/PA)

As Meghan chatted with Beyonce and Jay-Z, the rapper could be heard saying “congrats” while his wife said “baby, so beautiful”.

Beyonce also told the duchess: “We love you guys.”

It is believed to be the first time the two couples have met.

European Premiere of The Lion King – London
European Premiere of The Lion King – London The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet Beyonce and Jay-Z (Niklas Halle’n/PA)

Harry kissed Beyonce on both cheeks and appeared to mention that the American couple were a busy pair.

The singer appeared to answer: “A little bit. No more busy than you guys.”

Meanwhile, Harry complimented Pharrell on his outfit, describing his black shorts, white socks and black shoes combination as “strong”.

Disney’s The Lion King European Premiere – London
Disney’s The Lion King European Premiere – London Pharrell Williams (Jonathan Brady/PA)

The premiere on Sunday was held in “support of the conservation and communities work of His Royal Highness through The Royal Foundation”, Buckingham Palace said.

Meghan was out and about with Archie and Harry on Wednesday at a charity polo match with the Cambridges.

She also made two trips to Wimbledon to watch her close friend Serena Williams.

After the film, Harry and Meghan were expected to greet representatives from organisations doing groundbreaking work in the areas of conservation and the environment.

Disney has announced its global conservation campaign Protect the Pride to mark the movie’s release.

With conservation partners and the Royal Foundation, the drive aims to raise awareness and support efforts to recover the dwindling lion population across Africa.

Buckingham Palace said: “The Duke of Sussex has taken a deep personal interest in frontline conservation projects that work to protect Africa’s natural heritage and support both wildlife and local communities.”

Harry and Meghan are taking baby Archie to South Africa in the autumn.

The duke is also carrying out solo visits to Angola, Malawi and Botswana.

The Sussexes’ approach to privacy has made headlines after they decided not to reveal details of Archie’s godparents following his private christening, and after a royal protection officer asked a Wimbledon fan, who was photographing Serena Williams, not to take pictures of Meghan.