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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Laura Elston

Tickets for 99th Royal Variety Performance go on sale this Friday

The Prince and Princess of Wales attending the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2025 (Jonathan Buckmaster/Daily Express/PA) - (PA Wire)

Tickets for the 99th Royal Variety Performance are to go on sale on Friday, with the annual show set for the Royal Albert Hall on November 20.

The celebrity line-up and royal attendees for the star-studded event will be unveiled at a later date.

Last year, the Prince and Princess of Wales met Paddington, enjoyed a performance from the new musical about the marmalade-loving bear, and Kate shared a hug with the singer Jessie J, prompted by their shared experience of cancer.

The Prince and Princess of Wales pose for a photo with Paddington Bear at last year’s event (Jonathan Buckmaster/Daily Express/PA) (PA Wire)

To close the show, a cast of 400 performed a special medley of songs from Les Miserables to celebrate the musical’s 40th anniversary.

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 King meeting Sir Elton John at the Royal Variety Performance in 2024 (Toby Melville/PA) (PA Archive)

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.

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.

Giles Cooper, executive producer of the show and chairman of the charity, said: “The Royal Variety Charity is thrilled that the Royal Variety Performance will be returning to the iconic Royal Albert Hall this year after our very successful, five star reviewed show in 2025, attended by Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales.”

Princess Margaret, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II watching the Royal Command Variety Performance in 1953 (PA) (PA Archive)

He described the event as an “annual great British institution” which provides “crucial fundraising” to support those in “our much-loved entertainment industry”.

The televised show is seen by a worldwide audience of 154 million, the charity said.

Tickets are on sale from 9am on February 27 at https://store.royalvarietycharity.org/

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