Inside Prince William and Princess Kate’s rare date night | Royal | News

It was a rare glamorous night out for the Prince and Princess of Wales on Wednesday night, as they attended the 2025 Royal Variety Performance. Their children were “very sad” the event fell on a school night, as they would be missing out on seeing one of their favourite fictional characters, Paddington Bear, on stage.

After the performance, the glamorous royal couple met the marmalade-loving bear on their children’s behalf, in a special meet and greet that’s likely to be discussed at length around the family dinner table. But it was the prince and princess’s meeting with pop star Jessie J that was the real highlight of the night.

Earlier, dressed in her sweatpants on stage, the singer sang her new track I’ll Never Know Why. She wrote it for her bodyguard “Dave”, who took his own life in 2018. The royal couple found the song incredibly moving, and chatted to Jessie at length afterwards.

Approaching her first, William spoke to her about the importance of supporting men’s mental health and suicide prevention, a cause he has championed for years. He invited her to get involved in his charitable work on the issue, with Kensington Palace aides exchanging details after their backstage chat.

When Catherine was discussing Jessie’s song with her, the conversation soon moved on to discuss the pair’s recent brush with cancer. The princess was diagnosed in early 2024 and is now in remission, while the singer underwent a mastectomy for breast cancer in the summer.

Jessie was keen to show her support to the future Queen and asked if she could hug her. The caring princess responded by wrapping her arms around the singer, as Jessie told her how receiving such a heart-wrenching diagnosis really puts life into “perspective”.

Chatting to her afterwards, the singer was incredibly open and candid about her brush with cancer and was more concerned about how the disease would have impacted Catherine and her three children, being such high-profile public figures.

She explained why she hadn’t worn a glittering ball gown, unlike other acts, as she wanted to represent those who are struggling quietly at home, who don’t have the energy or willpower to get glammed up.

Not many pop stars are as kind, genuine, and empathetic as they appear on stage or on social media, but Jessie J’s tenderness and drive to encourage others to help those struggling in silence struck me. Her warmth and friendly demeanour – which saw her enquire as to what my strange squiggles were on my notepad (my shorthand) – filled me with hope as the country is in the midst of a rather negative news cycle.

I look forward to seeing the new partnership between the prince and the pop princess unfold.

Meghan Markle’s ‘moment’ features on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar next month and the magazine’s interview with the former working royal has raised a few eyebrows. Twice in the lengthy feature, the journalist reveals Meghan is announced by her full title, the Duchess of Sussex, when entering a room – even though it had only one other person in it.

It shows just how much importance she attaches to her royal status, despite being so desperate to leave the institution and return to America.

Meghan and Harry were allowed to keep their Sussex titles after Megxit, but were prevented from using the HRH styles. But with Andrew being formally stripped of his royal titles, maybe Meghan is making the most of being a duchess while she still can, in case anyone decides to go after theirs.

Tomorrow marks 33 years since Queen Elizabeth delivered her infamous annus horribilis speech at Guildhall, where she publicly acknowledged the series of personal and public challenges. Three of her four children saw marital breakdowns (Charles, Anne and Andrew) and she watched as her beloved Windsor Castle was ravaged by flames.

She described 1992 as a year she “shall not look back on with undiluted pleasure”.

Will the King be looking back on 2025 in a similar vein? A year that has seen him formally strip his brother of his princely title, evict him from his home and endure endless scandals over Andrew’s connections to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. There’s also been the ongoing rift with his son, Prince Harry, and his continuing cancer treatment.

But on the whole, Charles has cause to celebrate. He’s pulled off important trips abroad, showed his statesmanship by wooing one of the most controversial US Presidents of all time and held the nation together through a difficult period of social unrest and religious hate crimes. And he’s marked personal milestones, such as his 20th wedding anniversary to his beloved wife Camilla, and his daughter-in-law’s announcement that she’s now in remission from cancer. 

It’s not quite been a year to crack out the champagne, but an annus horribilis it is not. 

When The Royal Variety Performance is streamed on ITV next week, it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled for a special show from Britain’s Got Talent winner, Henry Moulding.

The young magician manages to film part of his sketch at Buckingham Palace, much to the surprise of the Prince of Wales, who was in the audience. 

My head fails to comprehend magic tricks, and this particular one continues to leave me baffled – just how does he do it?!