White witch meets prince

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe received a royal premiere in London last night at the Royal Albert Hall.

The tale of four children who find themselves in the magical world of Narnia was watched by a host of stars with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who met the cast.

The biggest star of the film, alongside Aslan the lion, voiced by Liam Neeson, will be the White Witch, Tilda Swinton (Orlando, Vanilla Sky, Constantine).

Swinton met the royal couple before the film on a blue carpet, instead of the traditional red, as the Royal Albert Hall was transformed for one night only into a glittering icy palace.

Other stars of the film in attendance included Dawn French, TV funny woman whose film career has included Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban and Maybe Baby, Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, Nil By Mouth) and James McAvoy, from TV's Shameless.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is being described as a children's Lord Of the Rings, but with much for adults, and it will no doubt be a strong contender to Harry Potter's film crown as the movie series is expected to continue in coming years with adaptations of the remaining six novels.

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