Queen braves cold for Chronicles of Narnia premiere

The third film in the Chronicles Of Narnia series has had a chilly premiere in London's Leicester Square, attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen donned a pair of 3D glasses to watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader after cast and crew members.

Liam Neeson and Simon Pegg were among the film's stars to brave the Arctic cold on a snow-flecked red carpet.

Proceeds from this year's Royal Film Performance will go to the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund.

Other guests at the event included 2009 X Factor winner Joe McElderry, who performed a song from the film's soundtrack at the gala.

The premiere was also attended by current contestants from the ITV1 talent show, among them Rebecca Ferguson and boy band One Direction.

Michael Apted (bowing) directed the third film in the Narnia series

"I'm told the Queen doesn't see many movies," Neeson told reporters . "But they're coming tonight and that's pretty special."

The Irish actor voices Aslan the lion in the film, the third to be adapted from the fantasy novels of C S Lewis.

Actor Ben Barnes was on the red carpet but did not stay for the film due to commitments to a West End stage show in which he currently appears.

"We didn't know that it would be a royal premiere so I arranged to come to this and then nip back," he said.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader opens in the UK on 9 December.

It is directed by Michael Apted, whose previous films include Gorillas in the Mist and James Bond movie The World is Not Enough.