When Harry met Harry! Prince William's younger brother hit the red carpet on Thursday at the world premiere of Dunkirk in London, where he chatted with music royalty, Harry Styles. The Queen's grandson attended the star-studded premiere with three veterans George Wagner (served in Dunkirk), Gemma Morgan (served in Kosovo) and Louis Nethercott (served in Afghanistan). The royal's guests are featured in a short film that aired prior to the premiere, which was created by the organization Contact Armed Forces that aims to help members of the Armed Forces community access mental health and wellbeing support.
Music royalty met actual royalty at the Dunkirk world premiere on July 13 Photo: Eamonn M. McCormack - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Prince Harry looked dapper for his red carpet appearance on 13 July wearing a navy blue suit. The 33-year-old completed his look wearing his military medals — Afghanistan Operational Service Medal, Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.
Harry wore his military medals to the London premiere Photo: Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
Harry Styles, who made his feature film acting debut playing a solider in Christopher Nolan's war movie, was photographed talking to the British royal at Odeon Leicester Square. Before stepping out to the Hollywood event, Meghan Markle's boyfriend hosted a reception at Kensington Palace for Dunkirk veterans.
The group whose ages ranged from 96 to 100 shared their experiences of serving in World War II. During the reception, Harry's sister-in-law, Kate, and her children — Prince George and Princess Charlotte — made a low-key appearance at the entrance of the palace, shyly saying hello to guests who had arrived early. Discussing the movie, Harry told them, "I hope it gets the story as accurately as possible and gives everybody only the smallest experience of what it was like for you out there."
The Prince hosted a reception for veterans at Kensington Palace prior to the Hollywood event Photo: Eamonn M. McCormack - WPA Pool/Getty Images
One veteran told Harry that he would understand what they went through on the beaches because of his service in Afghanistan, to which the 32-year-old replied, "It was nothing like what you guys went through, I can assure you of that." Garth Wright, 97, admitted to the royal, "I was one of the lucky ones. I never had to witness one of my friends being blown up," adding, "You're a real man, salt of the earth."
Dunkirk tells the story of the successful armed forces evacuation during the Second World War. The film is told from three perspectives – the air, land and sea. Harry Styles previously opened up about his role during a press conference. "Being a fan of Chris and being on set with him, it's hard not to be in awe of him just in the way that he works," the singer-turned-actor said to the Daily Mail. "You feel lucky that you get to watch someone like that work and someone so passionate about what they're doing I feel is always a privilege to be around people like that."