Emerald velvet, heirloom diamonds and a marmalade-scented wave of nostalgia: the Princess of Wales has officially turned the Royal Variety Performance into her personal winter blockbuster premiere.
The Moment
On a sleety London night at the Royal Albert Hall, Prince William and Catherine, both 43, arrived for this year’s Royal Variety Performance, the annual charity spectacular supporting people who’ve worked in entertainment.
Catherine stepped out in a floor-length emerald velvet gown, believed to be by German label Talbot Runhof, while William went classic black tie. The look was already a moment, but the jewelry did the talking: she paired the dress with the Greville chandelier earrings, dazzling diamond drops once worn by the late Queen Elizabeth II and crafted by Cartier over several years between 1918 and 1929.
Catherine/Kate, the Princess of Wales looks stunning in a green velvet evening gown by a German fashion label Talbot Runhof based in Munich. The jewellery is fab too. She is attending the Royal Variety Show in London this evening. pic.twitter.com/b9PJnNgbuE
— Ciara Quill 🇮🇪🇫🇷🇩🇪🇪🇺 💚💛 (@ciaraquill) November 19, 2025
Fans, some braving the cold just a stone’s throw from Kensington Palace, watched the couple make their way up the red carpet, greeting officials and charity leaders before heading inside. In a sweet touch, nine-year-old twins Emelie and Olivia Edwards presented the princess with a winter-woodland posy, their flowers picked from Brinsworth House, the charity’s residential home for retired entertainers.
Inside, the couple’s entrance to the royal box was trumpeted in true royal fashion, with the audience on its feet as Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins led the national anthem. The show itself leaned hard into British comfort culture: an exclusive performance from Paddington The Musical, Jessie J on the bill, and a 40th-anniversary celebration of Les Miserables.
According to a November 19, 2025 newspaper report, this is William and Catherine’s sixth time attending the show together and her first Royal Variety appearance since her public cancer recovery. After the curtain falls, they’re expected to go backstage to meet performers – including a certain marmalade-loving bear, reportedly armed with a sandwich.
The Take
I’m going to say it: this is one of Catherine’s most emotionally loaded outfits in years, and she managed it without a single screaming headline detail. No capes, no capricious slits, no experimental fashion. Just velvet, diamonds and history.
The emerald gown hits that sweet spot between festive and stately. Green is flattering on her, sure, but it’s also the color of renewal and, fittingly, hope. Coming after a very public health battle, it reads less like a revenge dress and more like a resilience dress.
The late Queen’s Cartier earrings are doing heavy lifting here. This is not subtle: Catherine is literally wearing continuity on her ears. It says, ‘I’m back, I’m still in the job, and the institution is bigger than one hard year.’ It’s monarchy as family heirloom – polished up, but not reinvented.
Then there’s Paddington. You cannot put the future Queen in the same building as a stage Paddington Bear and pretend this is just cute scheduling. Ever since Queen Elizabeth’s 2022 Platinum Jubilee sketch with Paddington, that bear has basically become a soft-focus symbol of her legacy. He’s grief, gratitude and British comfort food wrapped in a duffle coat.
So on one night you’ve got: a princess post-recovery, the late Queen’s diamonds, and the Queen’s unofficial mascot handing out marmalade backstage. That’s not just a charity gig; it’s a carefully staged mood board about continuity and comfort.
The Royal Variety Performance itself is always a little surreal – like the Oscars, the Macy’s parade and a charity telethon sharing one stage. But this year, the optics feel particularly pointed: Catherine’s health narrative, William’s steady support, mental health as a cause, and a reminder that the monarchy can still show up, smile, and raise money for the people who keep everyone entertained.
Receipts
Here’s what’s solid and what’s still living in the ‘reported, not confirmed’ bucket.
Confirmed
- Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, attended the Royal Variety Performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall in November 2025, representing the royal family at the annual fundraiser.
- Catherine wore a floor-length emerald velvet evening gown and the Greville chandelier earrings, diamond earrings previously worn by Queen Elizabeth II and made by Cartier between 1918 and 1929, as described in contemporary coverage.
- The Royal Variety Performance raises money for the Royal Variety Charity, which supports people who have worked professionally in the entertainment industry and runs the residential home Brinsworth House for retired entertainers, according to the charity’s own information.
- The charity has also developed dedicated support for entertainment professionals dealing with mental health issues, a cause William and Catherine have publicly championed.
- This year’s show featured performances from Paddington The Musical, Jessie J, and a 40th-anniversary celebration of the stage musical Les Miserables, with Katherine Jenkins performing the national anthem, as reported in the November 19, 2025 coverage.
- It is described as the sixth time William and Catherine have attended the Royal Variety Performance together, and Catherine’s first appearance at the event since her cancer recovery.
- Queen Elizabeth II’s association with Paddington Bear was cemented by a televised sketch for her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022; after her death, mourners left Paddington toys and marmalade sandwiches outside royal residences.
Unverified / Reported
- The emerald velvet gown is widely believed to be by German luxury brand Talbot Runhof, but there has been no on-the-record confirmation from the palace or the designer.
- Any deeper ‘message’ people read into Catherine’s styling choices – about her health, marriage or standing within the family – remains interpretation, not documented intent.
Sources: Royal Variety Charity official information (accessed 2024); contemporaneous UK newspaper report dated 19 November 2025; televised Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee sketch with Paddington Bear, June 2022.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you’re not up to your eyeballs in royal-watcher blogs, a quick refresher: the Royal Variety Performance dates back to the early 1900s and has long been a big night where stars perform in front of senior royals to raise money for charity. Different royals take turns attending; King Charles is the current patron, and the show is broadcast on UK television each December.
William and Catherine have been regular faces there over the past decade, turning the evening into a reliable source of red-carpet fashion and carefully curated couple moments. Catherine’s recent years, though, have been very different. In 2024 she publicly revealed a cancer diagnosis and stepped back from many duties while undergoing treatment, before beginning a gradual return to public life.
Paddington Bear, meanwhile, is not just a kids’ character in this context. His Jubilee sketch with Queen Elizabeth – complete with shared marmalade sandwiches in Buckingham Palace – became an instant cultural touchstone. After the Queen died later in 2022, thousands of Paddington toys and sandwiches were left as tributes, making the bear a surprisingly powerful symbol of affection and loss.
What’s Next
This year’s Royal Variety Performance is set to air in December on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player, which means the wider public is about to get their close-up of that emerald velvet and those Cartier diamonds. Expect the usual fashion breakdowns, but also a lot of conversation about how healthy, relaxed or emotional Catherine looks on camera.
For the royal household, this outing ticks several boxes at once: a feel-good charity night, a visible show of support for mental health in the entertainment industry and another step in normalizing Catherine’s return to high-profile duties. For viewers, it is likely to play as cozy escapism with a bittersweet edge – a reminder of the late Queen through both jewelry and Paddington, and a look at a future Queen who is clearly still finding her pace after a bruising year.
The bigger question is how often we will see Catherine at this level of glitz going into 2026: more slow-and-steady appearances, or a full return to the old royal schedule?
What about you? Do you see Catherine’s Royal Variety appearance as pure fashion fun, or do you feel there is a deeper message in the emerald velvet, heirloom diamonds and Paddington nostalgia?
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