For the Royal family, attending the annual Royal Variety Performance in London is a tradition that dates all the way back to 1912.
But while Prince Charles, Princess Diana in her time, and of course the queen and her husband have all made regular appearances at the royal event, the younger generation, as in Kate Middleton and Prince William, have yet to attend the event.
But now, for the first time ever, the palace has announced that the Duchess of Cambridge will indeed be attending the Royal Variety Performance, along with the Duke, next week, and according to some reports, they will be attending in place of the queen.
Kate and company will be treated to performances from Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Dame Shirley Bassey, and Bette Midler, with comedy coming from Russell Kane and Jack Whitehall, among others.
On top of that star-studded lineup , Demi Lovato, Britain’s Got Talent winners Collabro, the cast of multi-award winning musical Miss Saigon , tenor Alfie Boe, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Inala will also be in attendance to entertain the royals and the crowd.
This year, the event which will take place at the London Palladium as usual, will be hosted by comic legend Michael McIntyre, and by all accounts, is going to be a night to remember.
Even though the queen usually takes turns with Prince Charles as the royal rep for the event, this year it will be Kate and William who are in attendance.
As a spokesman from the palace told reporters, “The Duke and Duchess are delighted to attend the forthcoming Royal Variety Performance. Members of the Royal Family will continue to support the gala evenings. As with any other invitation, attendance by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.”
The tradition of the Royal Variety Performance Begun in 1912, with the first show being held in front of King George V and Queen Mary at the Palace Theatre in London.