Continuing a tradition that stretches back more than a century, Prince William and Kate Middleton were on hand to represent the Windsors at the annual Royal Variety Performance. This time around, they brought more royal star power with them to London’s Royal Albert Hall in the form of Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and her husband of 13 years, Prince Daniel. The concert, which raises money for struggling members of the entertainment industry, featured performances by Cher, Zara Larsson, Hannah Waddington, meme favorite Rick Astley, pianist Lang Lang, a tribute to Disney’s 100th anniversary, and more.
William and Kate were photographed talking to Cher as they introduced themselves to performers. Kate was also seen laughing as she spoke to Waddingham, who recently hosted William’s Earthshot Award Ceremony in Singapore.
Kate wore a turquoise gown with a cape sleeves by UK-based designer Safiyaa, which she paired with a crystal bracelet, earrings from J. Crew, suede pumps by Gianvito Rossi, and a Jenny Packham clutch. Victoria wore a black dress decorated with feathers by the fashion-forward Stockholm brand Toteme. Victoria and Daniel attended the event as a part of a three-day tour of Britain, which included a visit to a military base where Swedish soldiers are training alongside forces fighting in Ukraine. Earlier on Thursday, William and Kate met with Victoria and Daniel at Windsor Castle.
The event came as controversy has broken out over Endgame, a new book by royal reporter Omid Scobie, which discusses the aftermath of the interview in which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle claimed two members of the royal family made disparaging comments about their unborn baby’s skin color. William and Kate have not commented on the book or Piers Morgan’s on-air discussion of two royals named (allegedly accidentally) in the Dutch edition of the book. To get into the hall, however, the couple did have to walk through a group of reporters attempting to ask questions. According to a video filmed by People, onlookers shouted questions like “Your Royal Highness, have you got a comment about Omid Scobie’s book?” and “Did you watch the Piers Morgan show last night, Your Royal Highnesses?”
Coincidentally, Meghan wore a Safiyaa dress with an attached cape to an event at Royal Albert Hall in March 2020, though hers was an electric red hue. The brand has become a favorite for royal events, and Crown Princess Victoria wore a similar version in pink to the June royal wedding in Jordan.
