Tickets for the Royal Variety Performance are to go on sale on Friday, with the annual show set for the Royal Albert Hall on November 19. The celebrity line-up and royal attendees for the star-studded event will be unveiled at a later date. Last year, the King watched from the royal box, and met Sir Elton John and husband David Furnish who presented a musical number from their show The Devil Wears Prada.
Charles seemed amused at comedian Matt Forde’s on-stage impression of the now-US president Donald Trump. Forde referred to Mr Trump’s unfounded claim that illegal immigrants were eating pet cats and dogs in the Ohio city of Springfield and mimicked the Republican politician’s voice as he addressed Charles with: “Your Majesty King Charles, you’re named after a spaniel – be very careful, they’ll eat you alive.”.
The Queen missed the performance last November after developing pneumonia, but said the “show must go on”. The event is staged in aid of the Royal Variety Charity, of which the King is patron, and money raised helps people from the world of entertainment in need of care and assistance.
In 2024, the organisation established a mental health sub-committee to help individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, addiction and other mental health issues often exacerbated by financial instability and the unpredictable nature of employment in the entertainment industry.
The charity also runs its own residential care home, Brinsworth House, affectionately known as the Old Pro’s Paradise, in Twickenham, south-west London, for retired artists and entertainers. Giles Cooper, executive producer of the show and chairman of the charity, said he was thrilled the event, which is televised at a later date, was returning to London’s Royal Albert Hall again this year.
“This annual, great British institution continues to be a crucial fundraising event supporting people in our much-loved entertainment industry,” Mr Cooper said. The origins of the Royal Variety Performance date back to 1912, when King George V and Queen Mary agreed to attend a Royal Command Performance at the Palace Theatre in London, in aid of the Variety Artistes’ Benevolent Fund.
