Kensington Palace has revealed that the Prince and Princess of Wales will be attending a huge annual event later this week that is beloved by the Royal Family
The Prince and Princess of Wales will attend a huge annual event this week, Kensington Palace has revealed. It has been confirmed that Prince William and Kate will be the royal guests of honour at the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday evening.
The couple will see pop star Jessie J and Grammy award-winning singer Laufey take to the stage, as well as the band Madness, and actor Sir Stephen Fry. It will be the sixth time William and Kate have attended the show, and the first since the princess’s recovery from cancer in 2024.
Jessie J faced her own cancer surgery in June with a mastectomy for breast cancer, before later revealing she was due to undergo a second operation and had to postpone her autumn tour. She is to give a rendition of her new song I’ll Never Know Why.
There will also be a performance by the cast of the new Paddington musical, which has been adapted for the West End from the much-loved books by Michael Bond and hit films, with music and lyrics by McFly singer Tom Fletcher.
It brings to life the famous bear through a two-person team of James Hameed as remote puppeteer controlling the expressions and delivering the voice, and Arti Shah as the on-stage performer.
In 2017, Kate encountered Paddington when she danced with a costumed figure of the bear at Paddington Station, and met the cast and crew of the Paddington 2 movie.
The late Queen Elizabeth II famously appeared in a comedy sketch with a digitally animated Paddington Bear to mark her Platinum Jubilee, in which she revealed that she kept marmalade sandwiches – Paddington’s favourite treat – in her handbag. When she died in 2022, mourners left Paddington cuddly toys and marmalade sandwiches outside Buckingham Palace in tribute.
Comedian Jason Manford will host the show on Wednesday, while singer-songwriters Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure will introduce a one-off performance from the Live Aid musical Just For One Day.
Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe is showcasing an extract from the musical Kinky Boots, before the grand finale which will see 400 performers, including Michael Ball, Matt Lucas and Katy Secombe, take part in a medley in celebration of the 40th anniversary of award-winning musical Les Miserables.
The Royal Variety Performance is now in its 113th year – having first been performed way back in 1912, with King George V and Queen Mary attending. Each year, royal guests attend and William and Kate are attending this year, having last watched the performance in 2023.
King Charles watched the Royal Variety Performance last year alone as he had been due to attend with Queen Camilla but she was forced to pull out due to a chest infection, which turned out to be viral pneumonia.
The annual event is staged in aid of the Royal Variety Charity, of which the Queen was patron, and money raised from the show helps those people from the world of entertainment in need of care and assistance.
Since its creation in 1912, the Royal Variety Performance is now watched by over 152 million TV viewers worldwide, making it the most successful and longest-running entertainment show in the world.
The Royal Variety Performance will be screened on ITV and ITV Hub in December.
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