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

Wednesday night was a rare moment of glamor for the Prince and Princess of Wales as they attended the 2025 Royal Variety Performance. Her children were “very upset” that the event fell on a school night because they would miss out on seeing one of their favorite fictional characters, Paddington Bear, on stage.

Following the show, the glamorous royal couple met the marmalade-loving bear on behalf of their children in a private meet-and-greet event that was likely to be discussed at length at the family dinner table. But the real highlight of the night was the prince and princess meeting pop star Jessie J.

Earlier, the singer performed her new song I’ll Never Know Why on stage in her tracksuit. He wrote the song for his bodyguard “Dave”, who committed suicide in 2018. The royal couple found the song incredibly touching and had a long chat with Jessie afterwards.

William was the first to approach him and talk to him 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 charity work on the issue, with Kensington Palace aides sharing details after a backstage chat.

As Catherine discussed Jessie’s song with him, the conversation soon turned to the couple’s recent battle with cancer. The princess was diagnosed in early 2024 and is currently in recovery. The singer had mastectomy surgery due to breast cancer in the summer.

Jessie wanted to show her support for 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 heartbreaking diagnosis added “perspective” to life.

Chatting to her afterwards, the singer was incredibly open and candid about her battle with cancer, and was more concerned about how the disease would affect Catherine and her three children, who are all public figures.

She explained why she didn’t wear a sparkly ballgown, unlike other shows, as she wanted to represent those who were silently struggling at home and didn’t have the energy or willpower to dazzle.

Many pop stars aren’t as kind, friendly and empathetic as they appear on stage or on social media, but I was touched by Jessie J’s compassion and effort to encourage others to help those struggling in silence. His warmth and friendly demeanor, which saw him ask what the strange squiggly lines in my notebook (my shorthand) were, filled me with hope while the country was in the midst of a rather negative news cycle.

I can’t wait for the new partnership between the prince and the pop princess to unfold.

Meghan Markle’s ‘moment’ piece will appear on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar next month, and the magazine’s interview with the former royal staffer has raised some eyebrows. The journalist revealed that twice in the feature, Meghan was referred to as her full title, the Duchess of Sussex, when entering a room – even though there was only one other person in the room.

This shows how much he values ​​his royal status, even though he is 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 their HRH styles. But with Andrew officially stripped of his royal titles, perhaps Meghan could be making the most of being a duchess, just in case anyone decides to go after them.

Tomorrow marks 33 years since Queen Elizabeth gave her infamous annu horribilis speech at the Guildhall, where she publicly acknowledged a range of personal and public challenges. Three of his four children (Charles, Anne and Andrew) saw their marriages break down and watched his beloved Windsor Castle being devastated by flames.

He described 1992 as a year he “will not look back on with sheer delight”.

Will the King view 2025 similarly? A year in which he officially stripped his brother of his princely title, evicted him from his home, and endured endless scandals over Andrew’s connections to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. There is also a rift between his son Prince Harry and his ongoing cancer treatment.

But overall, Charles has reason to celebrate. He undertook major trips abroad, demonstrated his statesmanship by courting one of the most controversial US Presidents of all time, and held the nation together during a difficult time of civil unrest and religious hate crimes. He has also achieved personal milestones such as his 20th wedding anniversary with his beloved wife Camilla and the announcement that his daughter-in-law is now cancer-free.

It’s not yet a year to pop the champagne, but it’s not an annus horribilis either.

It’s worth keeping your eyes peeled for a special show from Britain’s Got Talent winner Henry Molding when The Royal Variety Performance airs on ITV next week.

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

My mind can’t understand magic tricks and this trick continues to amaze me – how does it do this?!