Standing ovation! Prince William and Duchess Kate were dressed to the nines for a charity show in London.
The annual Royal Variety Performance, which aired on the U.K.’s ITV on Sunday, December 19, took place in London last month and featured appearances by Ed Sheeran, Rod Stewart, James Blunt, Anne-Marie, Years & Years and more. Throughout the event, William and Kate, both 39, stood up and clapped for the musical guests.
The couple beamed during their big night out, with the Duke of Cambridge looking spiffy in a velvet tuxedo and bow tie. His better half donned a sparkling emerald green gown by Jenny Packham and wore her hair in loose curls.
Since 1912, the yearly presentation has been held in support of the Royal Variety Charity, raising money for entertainers throughout the U.K. who need assistance as a result of old age, poor health or hard times. Queen Elizabeth II is a patron of the organization, which also manages a local care facility for those in need of extra help.
Earlier this month, the royal pair got into the holiday spirit at the “Together at Christmas” community carol service at London’s Westminster Abbey, holding hands as they entered the chapel. As they gear up for 2022, the twosome are hoping they can put family drama behind them.
“[William and Kate] are looking forward to starting fresh in the New Year,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of Christmas. “We’ll be seeing a transition of responsibility — they’re taking on additional charity work, attending more events and making appearances.”
Per royal family tradition, the Cambridges were expected to spend the holiday with the queen, 95, at her Sandringham estate, but recent surges in the spread of COVID-19 may change their plans. Their children — Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3 — were “absolutely delighted” by the idea of “seeing their great grandmother in person again,” the insider told Us.
While William and Kate hope to gather with loved ones for Christmas, it’s unknown whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will make the trip overseas. The pair, who wed in May 2018, have been living in California since stepping back from their senior royal roles last year. Their exit was made permanent in February.
William is set to travel to the United States in 2022 for the first time in several years — but it’s “somewhat unlikely” that the former Fab Four will reunite during his stay, according to royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti.
“It’s like so many of these things — it’s a sort of lose-lose situation,” the British journalist exclusively told Us in November. “If they get invited and they decline, it seems petty and nasty. And if they don’t get invited, it seems petty and nasty from the other side. And if they do accept such an invitation and something goes terribly wrong, that seems like a bad idea. I can’t quite see how this would work.”
Tensions have been high between the brothers in the wake of the 37-year-old prince’s bombshell CBS interview earlier this year. While there have been some improvements, Finding Freedom author Omid Scobie claimed in September that there’s still “distance” in their relationship.
“[There are] still feelings of anger [about] the way the couple carried out their departure from their royal lives,” Scobie told Entertainment Tonight at the time, noting that William “has not been able to come to terms with [the exit] yet.”
