One’s behind you!
Is that Kate, William and their three little ones at the Panto?
EVERY good panto needs a charming prince – or beautiful princess.
The London Palladium had both last night, as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge brought their children to the West End for an evening of festive fun.
Making their debuts at a royal red carpet event, George, Charlotte and Louis were greeted outside the venue by masked elves – from a safe distance, of course.
Louis, two, wrapped up warm in an £85 Amaia Kids jacket that once belonged to George, seven. Their mother dazzled in a £900 printed dress from Alessandra Rich while William wore a Santa-style red jumper.
Inside, they joined key workers and their families in socially distanced seating arrangements to watch stars including Elaine Paige and Nigel Havers. The special performance, presented by the National Lottery, was held to thank essential staff for their phenomenal efforts throughout the pandemic.
The National Lottery is supporting pantomimes at ten theatres across the country by paying for seats that must be kept empty to maintain social distancing. Matt Ridsdale, executive director for lottery operator Camelot, introduced William for a brief speech before the show – and couldn’t resist hamming it up.
‘As this is panto, I’m very conscious of who’s behind me,’ he said. Before thanking the key workers in attendance – who ranged from NHS staff and vaccine researchers to teachers and bin men – the prince, 38, lamented the death of a member of pantomime royalty.
‘I want to pause and pay tribute to a true national treasure, Dame Barbara Windsor, who so sadly passed away last night,’ William said. ‘She was a giant of the entertainment world, and of course a legend on pantomime stages across the country including here at the London Palladium. And I know we’ll all miss her hugely.’
He continued: ‘It’s wonderful to be back here in the West End and see theatres reopening their doors... Catherine, George, Charlotte, Louis and I are all really looking forward to the show.
‘We are here tonight for a very special performance. Special because of you – the key workers here in the audience.
‘ You include community workers, volunteers, teachers, NHS staff, representatives from the emergency services and military, researchers working on a vaccine, people helping the homeless, those manning vital call centres, and staff from a wide range of frontline charities – to name but a few.
‘You have given your absolute all this year, and made remarkable sacrifices. So too have your families, who I’m sure have seen far less of you than they would have liked. It’s lovely that you are all here together tonight.
‘You are representative of the huge number of people across the UK who have stepped forward to make a difference this year in so many crucial ways. The country owes you a huge debt of gratitude.
‘I hope you all thoroughly enjoy yourselves this evening. It is the least we could do to thank you for everything you do – day in, day out – to keep our country safe and look after those who need help the most. From all of us – we wish you all a very happy Christmas!’
Enjoying their first experience of a royal box, the Queen’s great-grandchildren chatted excitedly, clapping as they waited for the performance to
begin. The outing to watch Pantoland – billed as a ‘celebration of pantomime’, and featuring stars including singer Beverley Knight and dance troupe Diversity – follows William and Kate’s mini tour of Britain which saw them pay tribute to key workers and organisations for their heroic responses to the pandemic.
The trip was also designed to highlight the performing arts, which have been devastated by the coronavirus crisis. The Government has set up a £1.57billion Culture Recovery Fund in an attempt to shore up the industry.
Among those at the Palladium last night were Dom Warren and his wife Alex, who set up Dom’s Food Mission five years ago to use surplus food to help struggling families. They have seen demand rise dramatically this year and work seven days a week, delivering 8,000 parcels a month.
The couple, from Hastings in East Sussex, are helped by their daughter Lexie, 11, and son Roman, seven, who both collect surplus food.
William and Kate thanked the family for their hard work – but the duke urged Mr Warren: ‘Look after yourself. You’ve got to... in the long-term because then you can look after other people.’
Nigel Railton, chief executive of Camelot, said last night: ‘We wanted to do something ahead of Christmas to thank key workers who are playing such a vital role.
‘We’re delighted to have been able to host this special one-off performance... to hopefully lift spirits and say thank you to some of the key workers who keep us safe, ensure our public services run and continue to support the vulnerable. Never has their work been so critical during these extraordinary times.’