Prince William travels to Middle Earth without Kate for The Hobbit premiere
PRINCE William joined the stars of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey tonight but was without wife Kate.
The Duke of Cambridge joined Cate Blanchett, Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis, as the Duchess of Cambridge recovers from acute morning sickness.
Cate Blanchett stole the show in a backless white gown as hundreds of fans lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the stars.
They were joined by showbiz figures including boyband McFly, who braved freezing temperatures on the green carpet in front of hundreds of screaming fans.
Sir Ian, who plays the wizard Gandalf, said it was great to be in London for a film with a strong British presence.
The weather is enough to drive anyone away
He added: "Its cast is basically British and from the Commonwealth, Tolkien was an English writer, here we are in the capital city and it feels proper."
Australian actress Blanchett, who plays elf queen Galadriel, joked about the cold.
"The weather is enough to drive anyone away but it is great to see so many fans," she said.
Some critics have panned the new installment which follows the Lord of the Rings trilogy after it left viewers dizzy or nauseous.
Director Peter Jackson shot the Hobbit movie 48 frames per second instead of the usual 24 frames.
He defended his decision, he said: "Twenty four frames per second has been with us since 1927. It's 2012 and I think we have a responsibility as film-makers to use technology to make cinema as exciting as we can."