Kate sheds a tear as War Horse meets with the approval of the film critics

The Duchess of Cambridge was moved to tears by the First World War epic War Horse at its premiere, according to the film’s director Steven Spielberg.

Kate, who shared the red carpet at the event on Sunday night in central London with the film’s equine star, stole the show in an elegant floor-length black lace evening gown by Alice Temperley.

Spielberg said yesterday: “I was sitting next to her and all I know is at one point my wife, who was sitting to my right, right in front of my face she passed a Kleenex… I saw the Kleenex go across my face, arrive and stop but I didn’t want to intrude on her experience watching War Horse so I never glanced over.”

The event was also attended by 600 serving and ex-serving military personnel and their families as well as beneficiaries of military charities.

Kate, who celebrated her 30th birthday yesterday, attended the premiere in Leicester Square with the Duke of Cambridge. Her birthday celebrations yesterday were expected to be low-key.

On Sunday night the royal couple met servicemen and women as well as the cast and crew and chatted animatedly with Spielberg, Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch, Emily Watson and Tom Hiddleston, who plays Captain Nicholls and went to school with William.

The royal couple went to the event in aid of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, which helps the welfare of those in the armed forces.

The filmmaker, who said he did not believe he had made “a war movie”, admitted he shed tears the first time he saw the play which inspired the film.

He said: “The play did that to me, I came out of the play a soaking wet wreck.”

Spielberg, whose films include Saving Private Ryan, Jaws and Raiders Of The Lost Ark, said he had been impressed by the landscape in Dartmoor where some of the film was shot.

He said: “There’s no place like it in the world. When I got to Dartmoor I realised I had a third character that I had to include in War Horse and that was the land and the sky so Dartmoor plays a major role.”

The film, which was nominated for best drama at the Golden Globes, follows on from the success of the play, and the movie largely met with a thumbs-up from critics with a number of reviewers awarding it four stars.