The Prince and Princess of Wales greeted Paddington Bear following the Royal Variety Performance on Wednesday. The Princess of Wales embraced Jessie J, who later revealed the hug was prompted by their shared experience of cancer.
Held at the Royal Albert Hall, the evening saw William and Kate entertained by the West End cast of Paddington The Musical, alongside performances from Jessie J and Laufey.
Post-show, the royal couple met McFly’s Tom Fletcher, who wrote the musical’s score. The Prince told Fletcher the performance was âfantasticâ before shaking hands with Paddington Bear.
Pointing to the marmalade sandwich in the bearâs paw, the prince said: âYour sandwich looks very nice.â
The royal couple also met Jessie J, who performed âIâll Never Know Why,â her new song inspired by losing a friend to suicide.
After her conversation with the princess, who wore a floor-length green velvet gown, the two shared a hug.
The âPrice Tagâ singer faced her own cancer surgery in June with a mastectomy for breast cancer.
The 37-year-old, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, later revealed she was due to undergo a second operation and had to postpone her autumn tour.
Jessie J said: âMum to mum, who has just recently gone through cancer, I just wanted to give her a hug.
âWe acknowledged that itâs something that is not easy to go through, especially in the public eye.â
The singer said her outfit, an oversized black hoodie and trousers, had prompted some confusion among attendees at the glitzy, black-tie event.
Jessie J said: âSome people say âOh, youâre not dressed upâ, but thatâs the whole point. When you feel depressed and youâre on the sofa, youâre not in a sparkling gown, youâre in sweats and you want the world to swallow you up⌠thatâs what I wanted to represent in my own way tonight.â
The topic of mental health came up in the singerâs discussions with William, who invited her to get involved with his own charity work on the issue.
Sir Stephen Fry, who performed an excerpt from Oscar Wildeâs The Importance Of Being Earnest, discussed his recent Celebrity Traitors appearance with William.
The creator of the celebrity spin-off, Stephen Lambert, previously told the PA news agency that William shared that he and Kate are Traitors fans when he made Lambert an OBE.
Asked by the prince whether he and the Celebrity Traitors cast have stayed in touch, Sir Stephen replied they were bound together by the fact that very few have shared their âbizarre experienceâ.
He added that Celia Imrie âcanât go anywhere without people calling out âwindâs coming!ââ, referencing a scene in Celebrity Traitors where the actress was heard audibly passing wind during a stressful mission.
To close the show, a cast of 400 performed a special medley of songs from Les Miserables to mark the musicalâs 40th anniversary, during which William could be seen laughing at a joke made at his expense.
Before performing Master Of The House, Monsieur Thenardier gestured towards the Royal Box and quipped: âOh no, I thought it was going to be the other fella, the one on the coins.â
William and Kate also met 2025 winner of Britainâs Got Talent, magic act Harry Moulding.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the King becoming a member of prestigious magic society the Magic Circle, Moulding filmed part of his act at Buckingham Palace.
Charles gained his honorary life membership to the society in October 1975, after performing a sleight of hand routine using cups and balls.
Harry told Kate: âIt was a dream come true doing Buckingham Palace as part of the act, it could not have been more perfect.â
Earlier in the evening, Kate was presented with flowers by nine-year-old twins Emelia and Olivia Edwards, family of staff at Brinsworth House, a care home for entertainment industry workers supported by the Royal Variety Charity.
After asking if they were fans of Paddington, the princess told the girls her children were âvery sadâ not to attend the show and added she had to tell them children were not allowed to go.
âMy kiddies were very sad, weâre going to have to keep it a big secret that I saw you guys,â she said.
âThey were very sad not to be joining us.â
The annual Royal Variety Performance was first staged in 1912 for King George V and Queen Mary in aid of the Royal Variety Charity.
The charity provides care and assistance to those working in the entertainment industry, including those suffering with physical or mental health issues.
The show will be screened on ITV in December.
