The Princess of Wales brushed off the fallout from a race row this evening as she glistened in a show-stopping gown upon arrival at the Royal Variety Performance.
Kate, 41, paired her stunning £1,288 Talina gown from Safiyaa with an equally dazzling smile as she stepped out in Kensington, showing no sign of anguish after a turbulent week for the royal family following the release of a bombshell book.
Senior royals in the UK are said to be ‘dismayed’ at the row after the book by Omid Scobie mentioned two names of senior royals he claimed expressed ‘concerns’ about the colour of Prince Archie ‘s skin.
The Dutch version of his book Endgame was pulled from shelves in the Netherlands after it appeared to name the two royals – something Scobie has put down to a translation error. The pair identified in the book were named widely by media organisations around the world tonight, including the Guardian and the Times, as King Charles and Kate.
Amid the controversy, the Princess of Wales maintained a ‘business as usual’ attitude as she attended the annual event with Prince William and their guests, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, dressed in a black Toteme frock, and Prince Daniel.
Prince William took his wife’s hand in a show of chivalry as the pair walked along the red carpet to attend the Royal Variety Performance
The Prince and Princess of Wales were seen talking to an act who performed during tonight’s Royal Variety Performance
They were seen speaking with comedian Rosie Jones tonight
The royal pair were also seen speaking with Swedish singer Zara Larsson tonight
The pair identified in the book were named widely by media organisations around the world tonight, including the Guardian and the Times, as King Charles and Kate.
However, the Princess brushed off the mentions as she arrived at the Royal Variety Performance 2023 in the show-stopping gown which featured flared sleeves and statement shoulders, plus a gem-encrusted high-neck.
she donned a chunky gem bracelet with matching earrings, carried a sparkling clutch bag and wore her thick brunette locks in bouncy curls.
Meanwhile Prince William looked sharp in a black tuxedo, and he acted as the perfect gentleman as he held out his hand for his wife as they took to the red carpet.
On arrival they met ITV executives before being introduced to Daphne Selfe, who at 95 is the world’s oldest supermodel.
Excited crowds gathered outside the hall to peer through the windows for the royal arrival.
Speaking to Ms Selfe, Prince William said: ‘You’re modelling at 95, that is incredible,’ before adding: ‘They don’t make you travel about too much do they?’
The Prince and Princess of Wales beamed and brushed off any sense of the controversy engulfing the royal family following the race row re-ignited by Omid Scobie’s book
The Prince and Princess of Wales put on a business-as-usual attitude as they attended the Royal Variety Performance 2023 amid a deepening race row reignited by Omid Scobie
The Prince of Wales looked smart in a tuxedo with a black velvet jacket and a bow tie at the event
The British royals and their Swedish counterparts stood for a rendition of God Save the King, perofrmed by Samantha Barks
As performances got underway, the Prince and Princess of Wales beamed and applauded
The royal couple appeared impressed by the performances as they watched on from the royal box
As she arrived at the Royal Albert Hall, the Princess of Wales was presented with a bunch of flowers
Kate smiled as she accepted the flowers, presented to her by a young girl in a pretty burgundy dress
The Princess of Wales told Ms Selfe that she ‘loved’ her dress, which had red feather tassel sleeves, to which she replied that Kate was very tall.
The Princess then joked: ‘I’m quite tall and I have high heels on, so I’m cheating.’
Prince William added: ‘I don’t have high heels on.’
The Princess of Wales and the Princess of Sweden were then presented with floral bouquets made from English & Swedish national flowers.
Before the performance started Prince and Princess of Wales were welcomed in the royal box with a rendition of ‘God Save the Queen’ performed by West End star Samantha Barks, who plays Elsa in the musical Frozen.
The event is in aid of the Royal Variety Charity, which supports members of the entertainment industry with a nationwide grants scheme, to help those who’ve worked professionally in the entertainment industry during this very difficult economic climate.
Crown Pricness Victoria of Sweden also gracefully accepted a posy of flowers as she arrived at the performance
Crown Princess Victoria was dressed in a black feathered frock from Swedish brand Toteme, while her husband Prince Daniel was dapper in a tuxedo
The Swedish royals stood in the foyer of the Royal Albert Hall ahead of the 2023 performance, on their visit to the UK
Bradley Walsh, who hosted the show, said it was ‘an honour’ to serve the monarchy and present the Royal Variety Performance – but joked that he would be grateful for a CBE.
There was also a brief appearance from Simon Cowell, who came on stage wearing Bono-esque yellow-tinted glasses for his ‘terrible eyesight’ to introduce Britain’s Got Talent winner Viggo Venn (CORR).
The Prince and Princess of Wales appeared to particularly enjoy a sketch from West End magician Simon Lipkin, where Bradley Walsh played the role of a servant.
Pointing at Their Highnesses Mr Walsh said: ‘If I don’t get a knighthood after this there’s no justice,’ causing the Prince and Princess to laugh together.
After the show Their Highnesses met performers including Cher, who had performed her new Christmas single, DJ Play a Christmas Song.
Prince William said: ‘It’s an energetic song isn’t it!’
They then spoke to performers including McFly, Mel C and Paloma Faith.
Faith, who was still barefoot from her performance, said the Prince and Princess of Wales were ‘really nice and very relaxed’.
She added: ‘They said they didn’t mind that I wasn’t wearing shoes as I seemed more comfortable that way.
‘They just put you at ease, which is a real skill.’
The British royals will no doubt be hoping an evening of entertainment at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring performances from Rick Astley, Zara Larsson and music icon Cher, will distract from an awkward week in which a 2021 controversy has been rehashed in Scobie’s book.
Following Samantha’s performance, who is currently playing Elsa in Frozen on the West end, the royals applauded
Ahead of the performance Prince William greeted Daphne Selfe, a 95-year-old supermodel
William appeared to share a comical moment with the model, who has been photographed bu David Bailey and appeared in the pages of Vogue during her career
Their royal highnesses also met with Vicki Michelle ahead of the performance, who is best known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in ‘Allo ‘Allo
The royal couple beamed as they stepped out of the car and onto the red carpet ahead of a night of entertainment
Allegations first surfaced that a member of the royal family had ‘concerns’ about the colour of Prince Archie’s skin in 2021 during Harry & Meghan’s sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Meghan, at the time pregnant with Princess Lilibet, told the veteran broadcaster there had been ‘concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be’.
She added the conversations had taken place between Prince Harry and members of his family, but refused to name the person or people in question because she believed ‘it would be very damaging to them’.
Harry later added in the same interview: ‘That conversation… I’m never going to share.’
In another sit-down interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby earlier this year as he promoted his memoir, Spare, the Duke of Sussex claimed he and Meghan had never said his family was ‘racist’ in reference to these alleged conversations.
Windswept Kate! The Princess of Wales looked elegant amid a gust of wind that blew her hair up
Kate, 41, opted for natural make-up with a touch of eyeliner, a nude lip, some blusher and bronzer
Ever the gentleman, Pricne William took Kate’s hand as she walked onto the red carpet to enter the Royal Albert Hall
Kate looked effortlessly elegant as she arrived at the Royal Variety Performance in a teal gown from Safiyaa
Kate stunned as she debuted the gown which featured statement shoulders and flared sleeves
The couple shared a sweet moment as William held out his hand for Kate
The Princess’s stunning teal gown featured a gem-encrusted high-neck and statement padded shoulders
Kate and William looked like the picture-perfect pair as they arrived on the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall
Prince William held his wife’s hand as she stepped onto the red carpet, in a gentlemanly gesture
The Prince of Wales took his wife’s hand as they walked along the red carpet into the Royal Albert Hall
Instead, he said his family members had shown ‘unconscious bias’.
As the fallout continues from the book, Omid Scobie appeared on ITV’s This Morning today where he claimed he was ‘as frustrated as everyone else’ over the controversy surrounding the Dutch translation of the book.
He told presenters he did not include the names of the two royals accused of discussing the skin colour of Harry and Meghan’s son Archie when he submitted the completed manuscript to his publisher.
However, Saskia Peeters, who translated the book from English to Dutch, told today: ‘As a translator, I translate what is in front of me.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel were the guests of Kate and William this evening
Crown Princess Victoria opted for a statement black dress with a shawl and a feathered texture as she arrived with Prince Daniel
The Swedish royals brought glamour to South Kensington as they arrived at this year’s event
Kate looked elegant despite what was likely a bitterly cold gust of wind as she braved freezing temperatures
The Princess of Wales stunned in a teal gown with flared sleeves as she arrived at the Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Variety Performance this evening
Looking elegant in the floor-length gown, the Princess shone as she stepped out of the car on arrival
Mother-of-three Kate, 41, paired her gown with dazzling accessories to attend the Royal Variety Performance
‘The names of the royals were there in black and white. I did not add them.
‘I just did what I was paid to do and that was translate the book from English into Dutch.’
When told the book’s author Scobie had denied the names were in his manuscript Mrs Peters said: ‘I don’t know why he would say that.
‘I have been translating for many years. This is the first time anything like this has happened.
‘This is not something I wanted to be involved in. This has been upsetting. I do not want to talk about it much more.’