The Prince and Princess of Wales were entertained by a cast of famous faces at the Royal Albert Hall and enjoyed performances by Paddington The Musical’s West End cast and singer-songwriters Jessie J and Laufey
The Prince and Princess of Wales had a friendly encounter with Paddington Bear after the Royal Variety Performance on Wednesday night, before Kate shared an emotional hug with Jessie J, prompted by their mutual experience with cancer.
William and Kate were treated to a star-studded show at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring performances from the West End cast of Paddington The Musical and singer-songwriters Jessie J and Laufey.
Post-performance, the Royal couple met Tom Fletcher, McFly singer and the creative mind behind the music and lyrics for the new Paddington musical.
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Prince William complimented Fletcher on the “fantastic” performance of the new musical, before shaking hands with Paddington Bear himself.
Observing the marmalade sandwich in the bear’s paw, the prince commented: “Your sandwich looks very nice.”
The Royal pair also spent time with Jessie J, who performed her new song I’ll Never Know Why, inspired by the tragic loss of a friend to suicide.
Following their conversation, the princess, elegantly dressed in a floor-length green velvet gown, and Jessie J shared a warm embrace.
Jessie J, known for her hit Price Tag, underwent her own battle with cancer earlier this year, having a mastectomy for breast cancer in June.
The 37 year old artist, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, later announced she was due for a second operation and consequently had to delay her autumn tour.
Jessie J explained: “Mum to mum, who has just recently gone through cancer, I just wanted to give her a hug. We acknowledged that it’s something that is not easy to go through, especially in the public eye.”
The singer explained her outfit choice – an oversized black hoodie and trousers – had caused some puzzlement amongst guests at the glamorous, black-tie affair.
Jessie J said: “Some people say ‘Oh, you’re not dressed up’, but that’s the whole point. When you feel depressed and you’re on the sofa, you’re not in a sparkling gown, you’re in sweats and you want the world to swallow you up… that’s what I wanted to represent in my own way tonight.”
Mental health became a talking point during the singer’s conversation with William, who encouraged her to get involved with his charity work on the subject.
Sir Stephen Fry, who performed an extract from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest, chatted to William about his recent Celebrity Traitors appearance.
The show’s creator, Stephen Lambert, had previously revealed to the PA news agency that William told him he and Kate were fans of The Traitors when Lambert received his OBE.
When the prince asked whether he and the Celebrity Traitors cast had remained in contact, Sir Stephen responded they were united by the fact that hardly anyone else has shared their “bizarre experience”.
He went on to say that Celia Imrie “can’t go anywhere without people calling out ‘wind’s coming!'”, referring to a moment in Celebrity Traitors where the actress was heard audibly breaking wind during a tense mission. The show concluded with a cast of 400 performing a special medley from Les Miserables to celebrate the musical’s 40th anniversary, during which Prince William was seen chuckling at a joke made at his expense.
Before performing ‘Master Of The House’, Monsieur Thenardier pointed towards the Royal Box and joked: “Oh no, I thought it was going to be the other fella, the one on the coins.”
The Duke and Duchess also met Harry Moulding, the 2025 winner of Britain’s Got Talent, who is a magician.
In honour of the 50th anniversary of the King joining the esteemed Magic Circle, Moulding filmed part of his act at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Charles earned his honorary life membership to the society in October 1975, after performing a sleight of hand routine using cups and balls.
Harry told Kate: “It was a dream come true doing Buckingham Palace as part of the act, it could not have been more perfect.”
Earlier in the evening, Kate received flowers from nine year old twins Emelia and Olivia Edwards, relatives of staff at Brinsworth House, a care home for entertainment industry workers supported by the Royal Variety Charity.
After asking if they were fans of Paddington, the princess told the girls her children were “very sad” not to attend the show and added she had to tell them children were not allowed to go.
She said: “My kiddies were very sad, we’re going to have to keep it a big secret that I saw you guys. They were very sad not to be joining us.”
The annual Royal Variety Performance, which first took place in 1912 for King George V and Queen Mary, is a charity event supporting the Royal Variety Charity.
This charity offers help and support to those working in the entertainment industry, including individuals struggling with physical or mental health issues.
The show is set to be broadcast on ITV in December.
