Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at 'Top Gun: Maverick' premiere in London

The duchess was given a helping hand by the star of the film Tom Cruise

A day after Top Gun: Maverick had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, it received a Royal Film Performance premiere in London on Thursday.

British royals, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, attended the film event, held in London's Leicester Square. The couple walked in with the star of the film, Tom Cruise, who took the duchess' hand to help her up the stairs as they arrived.

Also in attendance were Cruise's co-stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Glenn Powell and Jon Hamm, who spoke to the royals on the red carpet.

For the event, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a black and white, off-the-shoulder fitted Roland Mouret gown with black cut-out Prada pumps, an Alexander McQueen Beetle Box clutch and star drop earrings by Robinson Pelham.

The premiere is the first Royal Film Performance since the First World War epic 1917, directed by Sir Sam Mendes, had its premiere in London in 2019. The fundraising event is held in aid of the Film and TV Charity, which supports people working behind the scenes in the UK's screen sector.

Initially called the Royal Command Film Performance, the first Royal Film Performance took place at the Empire cinema in Leicester Square in 1946 and was attended by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and then princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

Top Gun: Maverick has been released 36 years after the 1986 original and has so far received rave reviews from critics. In the film, Cruise reprises the role of US naval aviator Pete Mitchell. It was originally due to be released in July 2019, but was repeatedly pushed back owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this month, Cruise made a dramatic entrance at the US premiere of the film, landing a helicopter on an aircraft carrier in San Diego, California.