Kate Middleton and Prince William to Have Glitzy Date Night at Royal Variety Performance for First Time in 2 Years

The Prince and Princess of Wales will don their best outfits as they attend an annual glitzy pre-holiday show on Wednesday Nov. 19.

The couple, both 43, will get in the mood for the holiday when they are the guests of honor at this year’s Royal Variety Performance, which is being held at the Royal Albert Hall, a short drive from their London home, Kensington Palace.

The show benefits the Royal Variety Charity, which supports those who have worked professionally in the entertainment world. Since 2024, particular attention has been given by the charity to those who are in need of help due to mental health challenges — an area that is close to the hearts of both Kate and William.

The evening will be hosted by British comedian Jason Manford and is set to include a flavor of some of the current top-level shows onstage in the West End. The royal couple will be hoping they aren’t the subject of some of the jokes — as they have been in the past.

In 2014, comedian Jack Whitehall mentioned former classmate Princess Kate and slipped them both attending Marlborough College into a joke during his performance. “I referred to her as the one that got away. I flirted a little, ’cause I said that she was one of my first crushes at school,” he later explained while appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show in November 2014.

And, in 2023, when they were last in attendance, William was caught on camera in fits of laughter during comedian Tom Allen’s performance.

This year, there will be songs from stars like Jessie J and Icelandic singer Laufey, while the royal couple will also be treated to an exclusive recital from Paddington The Musical by the show’s composer Tom Fletcher and a performance from the West End and Paris casts of Les Misérables, including Michael Ball and Matt Lucas, to mark the show’s 40th anniversary.

Afterwards, Princess Kate and Prince William will chat to some of the performers and representatives from the Royal Variety Charity. This will be the sixth time The Prince and Princess have attended the Royal Variety Performance.

The couple last attended the show in 2023 — when they brought surprise guests, and an extra royal presence, in Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, who joined them for the event during their three-day visit to the U.K.

Last year, it was the turn of King Charles. He attended solo as his wife Queen Camilla pulled out a few hours before the show due to a lingering chest infection.

The show is something of a curtain-raiser for the holiday and Christmas period for the royals as the show is broadcast in December on ITV1 in the U.K. Last week, it was announced that another annual tradition, Princess Kate’s carol service, Together at Christmas, will take place at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 5.

This year, Kate’s fifth carol service will feature the likes of Kate Winslet, Hannah Waddingham, Dan Smith and Chiwetel Ejiofor.