Kate and William meet stars at Royal Variety Performance

Kate and William meet stars at Royal Variety Performance



The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were the surprise stars of tonight's Royal Variety Performance show, when Will was cajoled into taking part in a comedy sketch by the show's host, Miranda Hart.



Kate burst into fits of giggles when the Duke gamely took part in a comedy skit, obligingly shouting the catch-phrase 'such fun' whenever Hart requested him to from the stage at the London Palladium.



Sitting in the royal box under a spotlight, the Duke performed his part enthusiastically while the Duchess dissolved into fits of laughter.



Hart said that compelling Prince William to participate in the show was on her to-do list for the Royal Variety duties.





Kate, who is four months pregnant with the couple's third child, looked stunning in a bespoke Jenny Packham crystal-embellished, full-length blue gown.



After their unexpected participation in the show, the couple enjoyed performances by Paloma Faith, The Killers, Louis Tomlinson, Seal and The Script at the London Palladium.



With 89 shows spanning 105 years, the event is held in aid of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund of which the Queen is patron.



The couple last attended the event in 2014 when Kate, who was then pregnant with Princess Charlotte, showed off her burgeoning bump in a black lace gown from Diane von Furstenberg - a dress also owned by Prince Harry's girlfriend and rumoured fiancée, Meghan Markle.



Harry, who is tipped to announce his engagement to Miss Markle any day now, attended back in 2015 when he met stars including Elton John and Jack White.



The Royal couple are attending the London Palladium in the Royal box, accompanied by Laurie Mansfield, life president and executive producer of the Royal Variety Charity, and Giles Cooper, chairman and executive producer of the same. 



The Royal Variety Performance takes place in aid of the Royal Variety Charity, of which The Queen is Patron.



It dates back to 1912 when King George V and Queen Mary - William's great-great grandparents - agreed to attend a Royal Command Performance at the Palace Theatre in London.





The first installment was in aid of the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund and its proposed plans to build an extension to its Brinsworth House home for elderly entertainers.



A second royal show was performed in July 1919 and billed as a celebration of post-war peace.



It became an annual event at the suggestion of George V in 1921, when the King decreed that 'the monarch or a senior member of the Royal Family, would attend an annual performance, in aid of Brinsworth House and the Royal Variety Charity, once a year thereafter'.





This was to demonstrate the Royal family's 'love and support for the entertainment industry and its associated charity'.



Today, it is watched by an estimated 152 million viewers worldwide, bringing the cream of international talent to the London stage - making it the most successful and longest running entertainment show in the world.



The money raised from the show helps hundreds of entertainers throughout the UK, who need help and assistance as a result of old age, ill-health, or hard times.



Traditionally, the Queen has taken it in turns with the Prince of Wales to attend the show, but Harry, William and Kate's repeated attendance is a demonstration of how the younger members of the family are increasingly stepping in to help the Queen in her tenth decade.



Charles and Camilla watched the performance in 2013, while the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh last went in the Diamond Jubilee year of 2012.



Kate, 35, returned to royal duties in October after battling a bout of hyperemesis gravidarum, an acute form of severe morning sickness, which forced the couple to announce their baby news earlier than planned.



Bedbound at Kensington Palace, she was forced to miss Prince George's first day of school at Thomas's Battersea.