Tonight the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Royal Variety Performance, after a commotion on nearby Oxford Street, which saw armed Met Police out on the streets.
William and Kate arrived at the Palladium Theatre for the evening of entertainment, which will be aired on TV next month, approximately an hour later than planned due to the nearby scuffle. It was not a terror-related incident, and there were no casualties or traces of gunfire; it is since thought to have been a fight which escalated.
William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arriving at the Royal Variety Performance in London. Picture by ROTA / i-Images
This is their second time attending as a couple, the being when the Duchess was pregnant with Princess Charlotte. Catherine wore a glitzy blue Jenny Packham-designed gown, with many commentators suggesting that she looked like Queen Elsa from the Disney film ‘Frozen‘. William looked as dapper as ever in black tie.
At one point during the performance, Kate was unable to control her giggling when William was compelled by comedienne Miranda Hart to shout her catchphrase “such fun”. Miranda Hart told the audience that getting a Royal to use her catchphrase was on her to-do list, as was getting William to gallop around and “knight me with his lightsaber”…!
Hart kicked off the show by singing “there’s no Duchess like show Duchess”, so it’s fair to say that the couple featured heavily in her sketch.
As a result of earlier security issues on Oxford Street, some of the acts cancelled, including James Blunt and the curtain failed to rise during the first performance by the dancers of the musical 42nd street. Despite the issues, the Royals and 2,000 audience members enjoyed performances by the likes of Jason Manford, The Killers, Paloma Faith, Louis Tomlinson, and The Script.
The royal couple was joined in the royal box by Laurie Mansfield, the life president and executive producer of the Royal Variety charity, and chairman Giles Cooper.
The annual Royal Variety Performance takes place to raise money for the charity of the same name, which helps hundreds of entertainers across the country who are ill, retired, or facing financial hardship. The first Royal Variety performance took place in 1912 when Kind George V and Queen Mary attended the ‘Royal Command Performance’ to raise money in support of the Variety Artistes’ Benevolent Fund. The Queen has been life patron of the charity since ascending to the throne, as was her father and his father.
