The Prince of Wales apologised on behalf of his wife Princess Kate after she was forced to miss the BAFTAs for health reasons.
William, who is President of BAFTA and arrived at Sunday night's awards ceremony alone, told BAFTA executives that Kate was sorry to not be attending, saying: "She does love the BAFTAs."
The future King also admitted he hadn't watched as many of the 38 feature films being nominated at the awards as he would have liked to.
William, 41, has been helping to care for his wife following her abdominal surgery last month, while also looking after their three young children and balancing his royal duties.
"I've done the fewest I've ever done before, with my wife it's been a bit - hopefully we'll catch up," he told Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank centre, as he also apologised for his "last-minute" decision to attend.
"I'll make my list tonight," he added.
With his wife's poor health as well as King Charles' recent cancer diagnosis, William's attendance at the BAFTAs was uncertain and only announced by Kensington Palace on Friday.
The Prince, who has been President of the charity since 2010, also told BBC executive Charlotte Moore that he is a "big fan of Christopher Nolan" and that he will be "pleased" if Nolan's film Oppenheimer receives an award.
He said that he "loved" the blockbuster about the father of the nuclear bomb, and he is yet to watch Barbie, which stars Margot Robbie as the lead, but that he hopes to.
William looked dapper as he arrived at Royal Festival Hall on London's Southbank on Sunday afternoon, to cheers from well-wishers and crowds. He mingled with the likes of David Beckham and Cate Blanchett before the ceremony kicked off, which was hosted, for the first time ever, by David Tennant.
In previous years, the Prince has attended the BAFTAs alongside his wife Kate. Last year, the couple made a dramatic entrance, with Kate making a statement wearing black opera gloves and a reworked Alexander McQueen gown.
The Princess is currently convalescing at their Windsor home, Adelaide Cottage, and is not expected to return to public-facing duties until after Easter.
Although Kate was absent from the red carpet, there were plenty of showstopping fashion moments from the night. With Bulgari being the watches and jewellery sponsor of the awards ceremony, as well as the Fundraising Gala and the Nominees' Party, it was always going to be the ultimate fashion event; check out our roundup of the best red carpet looks.