The stars of Oscar-tipped The Duchess were in London last night for the film's premiere.

Leading lady Keira Knightley casually chatted and signed autographs for the hordes of fans who turned out to see her on the red carpet outside Leicester Square's Odeon cinema.

Wearing a navy blue strapless dress, chunky high-heeled shoes and Chanel jewellery, the actress said she had loved making The Duchess - which is set in the 18th Century and is based on the life of scandalous English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish.

She added that she loved playing strong women thrown into vulnerable situations.

The 23-year-old said: "It's very interesting to me to play these types of roles and work with other women.

"There's always lots of men on the film set so it's good to have the opportunity to work with great actresses."

Ralph Fiennes, 45, Knightley's on-screen husband, the Duke of Devonshire, also attended the premiere.

Sporting a black suit, black polka-dot tie and black and white gingham pocket handkerchief, he said making The Duchess was a "fantastic" experience.

He said he loved being "around all the stately homes and art" that make up the backdrop of the film.

Talking about the forthcoming Harry Potter film, The Half-Blood Prince, Fiennes said: "I haven't seen it yet so I'm not sure if it's scarier than the others."

Dominic Cooper, 30, who plays the Duchess of Devonshire's lover Charles Grey, said: "It was very exciting to have the opportunity to do such a big part and to play someone who made political speeches.

"It was difficult at times to make it believable, to play someone who actually existed."

The film is based on the 1998 book Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman.

The 40-year-old New York author was present at the premiere.

When asked if the film was a fair account of her book she said: "For me it's a work of art and not a work of history and I was consulted on the script.

"We had many years of passionate arguments about that."

The mother-of-five added that Knightley was right for the film not only for her personality traits that were similar to the Duchess but also because her "dazzling smile" is the same as the Duchess supposedly had.

Director Saul Dibb also said Knightley shared characteristics with the Duchess.

"The Duchess is very intelligent, very kind and very warm, just like Keira," he said.

On the prospect of winning any awards for the film he said: "I think there are amazing performances from the actors but we just can't tell about this kind of thing."

The Duchess is released in UK cinemas on September 5 and is a certificate 12A.

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