The Prince and Princess of Wales meet Paddington. Pic: Royal Variety Performance
The Prince and Princess of Wales were all smiles as they attended the 98th Royal Variety Performance at the Albert Hall on Wednesday. The pair looked absolutely radiant, with Catherine in a £1,620 floor-length emerald velvet Talbot Runhof dress and Manolo Blahnik heels and William in a tux. They were treated to performances from Stephen Fry, Jessie J, Katherine Jenkins, Westlife, Paddington: The Musical and Les Misérables. But the highlight, surely, for them and us, was when they got to meet the marmalade-loving bear himself.
“From Paddington: The Musical to a 40th anniversary celebration of Les Misérables – a brilliant evening showcasing the best of theatre, comedy and music,” the royal duo posted on Instagram. “All while supporting the Royal Variety Charity which offers UK-wide help to industry professionals of all ages – offering vital support through mental health services, residential care, and financial assistance for those facing tough times.”
According to the BBC, William and Kate shook hands with Paddington and discussed his marmalade snacks, backstage. William told Paddington the performance was “fantastic” and said, “Your sandwich looks very nice.” Catherine added George, Charlotte and Louis were “very sad” to miss out. Well, it was a school night, after all.
Paddington has enjoyed a special relationship with the Windsors for some years, of course – taking tea with the late Queen for her Platinum Jubilee in 2022 and becoming a symbol of grief when she passed away later that year, with people leaving bears at the gates of Buckingham Palace. Paddington: The Musical is on now at the Savoy Theatre.
Over in Montecito, the jam-making, table-scaping Duchess was excitedly gearing up for the December 3 Netflix streaming of her ‘With Love, Meghan Christmas show’, sorry, no that should be ‘Holiday Celebration’.
So much so, that the trailer went live just as the Prince and Princess of Wales were pulling up to the Albert Hall on Wednesday night. Coincidence or not, the timing definitely got everyone speculating.
Still, within hours her Harper’s Bazaar magazine cover shoot and interview dropping meant everyone had an opinion on her ‘undone’ look and, frankly jawdropping anecdotes written up by her interviewer Kaitlyn Greenidge.
She tells Kaitlyn, with her hand on her heart, that Harry loves her “so boldly” and “fully” that she knows he will always have her back. “He loves me so boldly, fully, and he also has a different perspective because he sees media that I wouldn’t.”
We also find out that Meghan likes to be announced as loudly as “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex” before she enters a room. Yes, even when there is only one other person in that room. And she praises herself for inspiring her Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet . “I hope they see the value of being brave,” she said. “They saw it when the jam was just a pot on the stove, bubbling.” Quite. Read the full interview, here.
Stairway to heavenly biscuits and tea. Pic; Fortnum/Chris Jackson
On Wednesday Charles combined two of his passions, honouring beautiful craftmanship and tackling food waste, with a visit to Fortnum & Mason, one of our favourite London shops.
The King was delighted to mark the completion of the store’s striking Double Helix Staircase, unveiling a plaque alongside one of his favourite architectural designers, Ben Pentreath. The two staircases take people from the lower ground to the second floor, and appear as one single structure, wrapping around the centre of Fortnum’s atrium like twisting strands of DNA, to create an impressive centrepiece.
Earlier at the store, Charles celebrated the second anniversary of his Coronation Food Project, dedicated to reducing food waste by rescuing thousands of tonnes more food for communities in need. In Fortnum’s training kitchen, Charles joined apprentice chefs from The Felix Project, a key partner of the Coronation Food Project. Fortnum & Mason, a founding supporter of The Felix Project, has provided daily food collections from its Piccadilly store since the charity began.
The Royal Family on Instagram: “Over the weekend, The Duchess o…
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh has been busy over the last two weeks, on a tour of Central and South America. She visited Peru, Panama, Guatemala and Belize at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, meeting with Indigenous women’s rights defenders, the Peruvian President, survivors of human trafficking and sexual violence, conservation groups and the British Army in Belize. I (Kerry), have walked much of the Duchess’ footsteps in this region – one of the highlights of my travelling life was visiting the Mayan temples at Guatemala’s Tikal, where she is pictured above and I also had a memorable visit to Belize. Great job, Sophie. Edward, meanwhile, visits Ghana this week, while Sophie is straight back to work at events in Oxford.
Some of the Christmas treats on sale at Buckingham Palace. Pic: RCT
Yes, it’s that time again, when we bring you our round up of royal Christmas gifts, for all the family. Make sure to keep a look-out in your in-box, as we’ll be sending it out next Sunday for all (free and paid) subscribers. And, look, we’re just saying, what better gift to give someone, than a paid subscription to The Royal List? If you upgrade to paid, you get our free weekly round-up, plus special subscriber-only newsletters taking a deep-dive into the royal world. We really appreciate all our readers around the world and your support make it possible for us to keep writing.