Entertainment

Beyonce and Jay-Z join royalty to watch The Lion King

Stars were out in force in Leicester Square.
Stars were out in force in Leicester Square.

Beyonce has graced the star-studded premiere of The Lion King in London.

The superstar singer kept royal company at the event in Leicester Square, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in attendance to watch the remake.

She arrived with husband Jay-Z after the appearance of Harry and Meghan, who were met with cheers from the crowd.

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

Disney’s The Lion King European Premiere – London
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attending Disney’s The Lion King European Premiere (Ian West/PA)

Beyonce lends her voice to the character of lioness Nala in the CGI feature, which stars Donald Glover, Seth Rogen and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Men behind the music Pharrell Williams and Sir Elton John also appeared at the star-studded event to watch the new release.

Disney’s The Lion King European Premiere – London
Sir Elton John and David Furnish attending (Ian West/PA)

Beyonce walked the specially laid out yellow carpet for the European premiere of the film, accompanied by Jay Z.

The Lion King director Jon Favreau explained the motivation to return to and remake a film which was a hit in 1994.

Disney’s The Lion King European Premiere – London
Jon Favreau (Ian West/PA)

He told PA: “There are certain stories that you want to see live on because they hold up so well, and they speak to each generation.

“And sometimes you can use technology to make it exciting and different for younger people who might not be as open to the older film techniques.”

He added: “Whenever there’s a new generation, there’s an opportunity to take the stories that have worked so well and present them again. To keep them alive.”

The film keeps the plot and characters from the original.

Disney’s The Lion King European Premiere – London
Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller (Ian West/PA)

Rogen, famed for more adult comedic roles, voices the part of Pumbaa, the warthog. He was relieved that his humour could translate into a child-friendly film.

He said: “I couldn’t have predicated that was going to happen any time soon.

“I am genuinely surprised I was able to be funny in a way that I find funny – and that is acceptable to be in this film.

“You learn something new every day.”

The film is released on July 19.