The Prince and Princess of Wales took to the red carpet as they attended the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time since 2023.
Dressed in a green velvet evening dress, the Princess was joined by Prince William, wearing a black velvet tuxedo, at the venue, a short distance from their London residence, Kensington Palace.
“It is so nice to be back for the performance,” Kate said as she spoke to executives from ITV and representatives of the Royal Variety Charity.
Before heading to their seats, the princess was given a posy of flowers 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, southwest London, where the flowers had been picked.
Before going in to see the evening’s entertainment, which featured a performance from the cast of Paddington the Musical, the princess asked them: “Are you two fans of Paddington?”
She added: “My kiddies will be very sad, we are going to have to keep it a big secret,” as she brought her finger to her lips.
Kate Middleton with twin sisters Emelie and Olivia
JONATHAN BUCKMASTER/DAILY EXPRESS/PA
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 with a performance from the cast of Paddington, which has opened at the Savoy Theatre.
Other highlights included performances from Jessie J, Harry Moulding and a 40th-anniversary celebration of the stage show Les Misérables.
Money raised from the event will help people from the world of entertainment in need of care and assistance. The Royal Variety Charity launched an initiative to support those with mental health issues last year.
The charity also runs Brinsworth House, known as “the Old Pro’s Paradise”, for those who have worked in the entertainment industry.
After the show, which will be broadcast on television at a later date, the prince and princess were due to go backstage to greet the performers, including Paddington, who was set to give them a marmalade sandwich.
It is the sixth time that the couple have attended the show and the first time since Kate’s cancer treatment last year.
Jessie J has had her own cancer diagnosis, telling fans earlier this year that after a mastectomy for breast cancer she had to have a second operation which led to the cancellation of her autumn tour dates.
The princess first encountered Paddington when she danced with a costumed figure of the bear at Paddington Station and met the cast of the Paddington 2 film in 2017.
The royal couple last attended the event in 2023
JONATHAN BUCKMASTER/AP
However, the bear from the Michael Bond books has other royal connections. An animated Paddington had tea with the late Queen as part of a comedy sketch to celebrate Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
The punchline was given to the Queen who revealed that she liked to keep marmalade sandwiches, Paddington’s favourite snack, in her handbag.
Previously, the meetings between the royal family and the Royal Variety stars have provided good material for comedians.
In 2014, Jack Whitehall, a comedian who had been at Marlborough School at the same time as the Princess of Wales, met his former classmate at the annual event.
He later told Jonathan Ross: “I referred to her as the one that got away. I flirted a little because I said that she was one of my first crushes at school.”