William and Kate take kids to panto in first red carpet event as family of five

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge gave their children an early Christmas treat on Friday night with a trip to the pantomime in London’s West End.

In a rare public outing, an excited Price George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis watched a performance of Pantoland with parents William and Kate in the royal box.

The special show, staring Julian Clary, Elaine Paige and a host of stars, was staged at the London Palladium to thank key workers from across the capital for their efforts during the pandemic.

Before the performance began, Prince William gave a speech paying tribute to Dame Barbara Windsor, who died last night, describing her as a ‘giant of the entertainment world’.

William told the audience: ‘Before I go on, I want to pause and pay tribute to a true national treasure, Dame Barbara Windsor, who so sadly passed away last night.

‘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 went on to thank key workers, saying: ‘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 the 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.’

Earlier this week the duke and duchess travelled 1,250 miles around the country, during a three-day tour on the royal train, to thank frontline and key workers, communities and individuals for their efforts during the pandemic.

The tour attracted veiled criticism from ministers in Scotland and Wales but was praised by Boris Johnson for giving the nation a ‘morale boost’.

Tonight was the Cambridges’ first red carpet engagement as a family of five.

When William returned to the box, there was a swift shuffling of seats as the duke sat between his eldest son and daughter, leaving Charlotte briefly holding her face in her hand as Louis sat on Kate’s lap.

Guests were encouraged to wear a Christmas jumper and while Kate wore a dress by Alessandra Rich, William had on a festive red pullover.

When the Cambridges first arrived George, aged seven, Charlotte, aged five, and two-year-old Louis stopped briefly to watch actors dressed as elves entertaining the guests on the red carpet.

The trip was also designed to showcase the UK’s arts, heritage and live performance sector, which has been crippled by the pandemic – though recently the Government announced a £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

The National Lottery is currently supporting pantomimes at 10 theatres across the country, helping them to open their doors to the public safely by paying for the empty seats required for social distancing.

Nigel Railton, chief executive of National Lottery operator Camelot, said: ‘We wanted to do something ahead of Christmas to thank key workers who are playing such a vital role in this pandemic.

‘We’re delighted to have been able to host this special one-off performance of Pantoland with The London Palladium and Qdos Entertainment 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.’  

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page