Princess Kate and Prince William hold hands during red carpet appearance – best photos

The Prince and Princess of Wales were joined by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel at the Royal Variety Performance

Split of William and Kate and Swedish royals at Royal Variety Performance

The Prince and Princess of Wales enjoyed a starry night out with Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden as the foursome attended the Royal Variety Performance on Thursday evening.

It marked Prince William and Kate’s public outing since the release of Omid Scobie’s controversial royal book, Endgame, published on Tuesday.

But the couple were in high spirits, displaying a rare PDA and holding hands as they arrived at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Princess Kate, 41, appeared to pay tribute to the Swedish flag in a teal evening gown by Safiyaa with sweeping dramatic split sleeves.

She accessorised with statement jewellery and wore her hair in a bouncy blowdry with her fringe framing her face.

Meanwhile, Crown Princess Victoria, 46, wowed in a black feathered off-the-shoulder gown by Swedish label Toteme.

Wearing her brunette locks in her signature sleek bun, the Swedish royal accessorised her look with chunky gold jewellery.

Kate Middleton outside Royal Albert Hall© Shutterstock
Kate looked beautiful in a teal Safiyaa gown

Close-up of Kate Middleton wearing blue dress at Royal Variety© Getty
Kate looked stunning

Both Prince William and Prince Daniel looked smart in tuxedos as the group sat in the royal box for the show.

Ahead of the show, the Prince and Princess and the Swedish royals met with performers as well as representatives from the Royal Variety Charity, which supports those working in the entertainment industry in need of care and assistance.

William and Kate chatted with one of the world’s oldest working supermodels, Daphne Selfe, with the Princess complimenting the 95-year-old on her silver dress with red feather cuffs.

“Hello Daphne, I love your outfit. She looks fantastic,” she said.

William and Kate greet Daphne Selfe at Royal Variety Performance© Getty
William and Kate speaking with Daphne Selfe

When the Absolutely Fabulous actress remarked that the Princess was tall, Kate laughed: “I have high heels on, I’m cheating.”

Smiling, William added: “I don’t have high heels on, not yet.”

The Prince And Princess Of Wales with Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel in the royal box© Getty
The royal couples in the royal box

The Waleses met with the Swedish royals at Windsor Castle ahead of their joint outing. Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are in the middle of a three-day visit to the UK.

William and Kate’s official Instagram account shared images from their meeting, writing: “A pleasure to welcome The Crown Princess of Sweden and Prince Daniel to Windsor this morning.” 

The then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge carried out a royal tour of Sweden and Norway in 2018, when Kate was pregnant with her third child, Prince Louis.

Crown Princess Victoria presented with flowers© Getty
Crown Princess Victoria was presented with flowers

The star-studded event hosted by The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh saw performances from US megastar Cher, a celebration of Disney’s 100 years and 2023 Britain’s Got Talent winner, the comedian Viggo Venn.

Close-up of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at Royal Variety Performance© Getty
Crown Princess Victoria wowed in an off the shoulder dress and gold jewellery

Pop rock band McFly, singer Rick Astley, pop singer Zara Larsson and singer-songwriter Paloma Faith also took to the stage along with Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, who will be accompanied by the English National Opera (ENO) chorus.

William and Kate clap during the Royal Variety Performance© Getty
William and Kate applauding the performances

Also on the bill were singer and actress Beverley Knight alongside the cast of Sister Act, the Argentinian dancing troupe Malevo and a special performance from Derren Brown’s West End creation Unbelievable.