The Prince and Princess of Wales made a dazzling entrance tonight at the Royal Variety Performance.
William and Catherine, both 43, joined an array of stars like Jessie J, Matt Lucas and host Jason Manford at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the annual charity event, which senior members of the Royal Family take turns to support.
Arriving outside the main entrance to the building before taking their seats in the Royal Box, the Princess was the picture of elegance in a green velvet evening gown, while William looked dapper in black tie.
Catherine paired her emerald dress, thought to be from German luxury fashion brand Talbot Runhof, with the exquisite Greville chandelier earrings, once favoured by the late Queen Elizabeth II and crafted by Cartier over eleven years.
This evening’s outing marked a rare joint ‘black tie’ evening for the royal couple, after William attended the Diplomatic Corps reception at Windsor Castle last night solo.
Despite cold and sleet in the British capital, fans were out in force to see Catherine join her prince just a stone’s throw from their London base at Kensington Palace.
The Royal Variety Charity assists those who have worked professionally in the entertainment industry, and in 2024, it set up a dedicated team to assist those who are in need of help and support because of mental health issues, a cause close to William and Catherine’s hearts.
The Prince and Princess were greeted tonight by Colonel Jane Davis, Vice Lord-Lieutenant for Greater London and the President and CEO of the Royal Albert Hall, James Max and James Ainscough, on the red carpet outside the famous venue.
Entering the main foyer, the royal couple were introduced to Giles Cooper OBE, chairman of the Royal Variety Charity before meeting half a dozen executives from the charity and ITV, who produces the show.
Catherine, who had goose bumps on her bare arms following her entrance in the cold, said ‘it is so nice to be back for the performance’ as she chatted to the line-up.
Before heading to their seats, the princess was handed a stunning posy of winter woodland-themed flowers, designed to capture the quiet magic of the season, by nine-year-old twins, Emelie and Olivia Edwards.
The girls had been chosen because a family member works at the charity’s residential care home, Brinsworth House in Twickenham, south west London, where the flowers had been picked from.
Bending down to speak to them, the princess said ‘they’re very sweet’ and asked if they were excited to tell their friends at school what they were doing tonight.
Yes, they told her as she asked: ‘Are you two fans of Paddington?’
Nodding, Catherine told them: ‘My kiddies will be very sad [to have missed the show], we are going to have to keep it a big secret. ‘
Bringing her finger to her lips, she added: ‘They were very sad not to be joining us.’
She then shook their hands and thanked them for the ‘beautiful’ flowers.
William, wearing a black velvet jacket and matching bow tie, then joined the trio, taking the gifted programmes from one of the twins, and asked what she was looking forward to watching the most tonight.
Thanking Emelia and Olivia again, the prince said: ‘You’re very smiley,’ as Catherine added: ‘It’s infectious.’
The prince and princess’s arrival in the royal box was met by state trumpeters, with the audience taking to their feet and greeting the royal couple as Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins sang the national anthem.
This year’s show was hosted by Jason Manford and included an exclusive performance from Paddington The Musical, which opened at the Savoy Theatre at the start of the month.
Other highlights included performances from Jessie J and a 40th-anniversary celebration of the stage show Les Misérables.
The prince and princess giggled as comedian Mick Miller, 75, had the audience in stitches with a series of jokes before Britain’s Got Talent winner, magician Henry Moulding took to the stage.
The 24-year-old from Blackpool took to the stage and directly addressed William, saying: ‘Your Royal Highness, you may already know that your father is a member of the world famous magic circle.’
He said that the King recently marked 50 years since he performed the routine which gained him the membership and to mark it, the monarch was happy to get involved with tonight’s trick.
Turning to the audience, Henry picked someone at random, Brian, and asked him to think of a country while pulling a piece of paper out of his blazer pocket.
The audience member said ‘Brazil,’ prompting the magician to say, ‘unbelievable, Brazil it is’ as he unfolded the piece of paper which read: ‘Correct’ in capital letters.
The BGT winner then handed him a yellow balloon with a piece of paper inside, and asked him to throw it over his head.
June caught it and is asked to think of an exact time of day, and told the magician: ‘11.03’.
She passed the balloon back, and having caught it, Madeline was asked to give a random number between 100 and 400. She responded 232 before throwing the balloon behind her for a final time.
Kevin caught it and is asked to describe the show in one word. After some deliberation, he said: ‘Brilliant.’
He was then asked to walk to a white spot on the floor and shake the balloon over his head.
Henry approached him and bursts the balloon, taking a piece of paper, which reads: ‘Brian will give the country Brazil. June will give the time 11:03. Madeline will give the number 232. Kevin will give the world brilliant.’
If the audience weren’t impressed enough, a pre-recorded video from a month earlier was then shown on screen.
Henry was shown arriving at Buckingham Palace, and said: ‘I’ve got a special delivery to make’ clutching an envelope addressed to the King.
After being welcomed inside by a member of staff, the camera panned to the clock, which read 11.03am.
Inside one of the grand rooms, the magician took a book out of the envelope and turned to page 232, which has the country Brazil circled.
He then closed the bright red book and showed the title, Brilliant.
Henry then picked up a pack of cards, telling the audience that the King had reversed one of the cards and placed it back inside the deck.
Back on stage, the magician took out the pack and asked Brian to name a card at random, and selected the ace of clubs.
‘Lets see if the King has read your mind,’ the young magician says before taking the deck out and sifting through them, selecting the one card facing the wrong direction.
The audience applauded as he turned it round to show the ace of clubs.
Giles Cooper, Royal Variety Chairman and Life-President, said of the King’s involvement in the show: ‘To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the King becoming a member of the prestigious ‘Magic Circle’, the Royal Variety Charity, of which His Majesty is sole Patron, approached Buckingham Palace to see if this year’s Britain’s Got Talent winner Henry Moulding could film some of his performance at the Palace.
‘We understand that the King was pleased that the Palace could be used as part of the magic act.’
A powerful video made by the Royal Variety Charity was also played during the show, showcasing the mental health support provided to those in the entertainment industry.
Long unsociable hours and financial anxiety due to being self-employed have contributed to the industry having the fourth-highest suicide rate of any industry.
The clip also gave the harrowing statistic that 87% of people in the industry have experienced poor mental health, such as depression, anxiety and panic attacks.
Money raised from the star-studded event goes to help people from the world of entertainment in need of care and assistance, with the Royal Variety Charity launching an initiative to help those with mental health issues last year, a cause William and Catherine have long championed.
The charity also runs Brinsworth House, known as the Old Pro’s Paradise, for those who have worked in the entertainment industry.
The grand finale saw some 400 actors take to the stage to sing a medley of songs from hit musical Les Miserables to mark the 40th anniversary of the hit musical.
When comedian Matt Lucas took to the stage to perform Master of the House as the villainous character Monsieur Thenardier, he looked up at the royal box and said: ‘Oh no, I thought it was going to be the other guy, the one on the coins.’
The prince and princess laughed and looked to enjoy the impressive performance.
One Day More concluded the medley, which saw singers line the aisles and drummers perform in the wings.
As the chorus sung the final words, the French and union flags were waved from the dress circle and red white and blue confetti fell from the ceiling.
The audience rose to their feet in applause, including the prince and princess, as the acts returned to the stage to ‘Santa Clause is Coming To Town’.
Their royal highnesses were then thanked for attending and given three rounds of Hip Hip Hooray before heading backstage to meet all the acts, including a special meet and greet with Paddington, who they seemed particularly taken with.
‘Can I shake your hand? Your sandwich looks very nice,’ asked William.
‘The way you were singing was totally incredible, fantastic. Was it very hot in there as well?’
As Paddington tipped his hat off at the couple, William beamed and pointed at the sandwich: ‘It looks very yummy.’
The beloved fictional bear became synonymous with the late Queen Elizabeth after she appeared in a cameo with the marmalade-loving character for her Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
After the monarch died in September that year, wellwishers left Paddington toys and marmalade sandwiches as tributes outside royal residences such as Buckingham Palace.
Senior members of the Royal Family take it in turns to attend the glittering event, with the King, patron of the charity, attending last year’s show.
Tonight’s performance marked the sixth time William and Catherine have attended the show together, and the princess’s first since her cancer recovery.
The royal couple’s most recent appearance was in 2023 when they were joined by Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel.
The Royal Variety Performance will air on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player in December.
