Prince William and Princess Kate Ignore Questions About Controversial Royal Book, Hold Hands on the Red Carpet

Prince William and Princess Kate stepped out for The Royal Variety Performance 2023 at Royal Albert Hall in London on Thursday.

Arriving at the venue, the Prince and Princess of Wales were met by reporters who wanted to know their thoughts on Omid Scobie's bombshell new royal book, titled Endgame.

Journalists were ostensibly also asking about the controversy surrounding the comment one or possibly two members of the Royal Family made about Prince Archie's skin color before he was born, which Meghan Markle first talked about in the 2021 Oprah interview. In the Dutch version of Endgame, the royals involved were reportedly named, which was an error.

Reporters shouted in the Waleses' direction, "Your Royal Highness, have you got a comment about Omid Scobie's book? Did you watch the Piers Morgan show last night, Your Royal Highnesses?" (as transcribed by People). On his TV show on Wednesday, Morgan named the two royals he claimed were mentioned in a version of the book.

Following Morgan's claims, Scobie said on ITV's This Morning, "I have never submitted a book that had their names in it, so I can only talk about my version. I am obviously frustrated. I wouldn’t say I am upset about it because I have been operating in a bubble of no emotion" (via The Independent).

In a video captured by a People reporter, Kate and William can be seen gracefully ignoring these questions, smiling broadly while stepping out of their car and heading towards the venue.

The prince also took his wife's hand, in a gesture that was widely captured on camera.

Both royals were dressed to the nines for the event, with William elegant in a velvet tuxedo, and Kate stunning in a royal blue gown by Safiyaa, whose silhouette echoed the princess' dresses from Jenny Packham. The gown was a form-fitting full-length piece with long sleeves acting like a cape of sorts. She paired it with matching pointed suede pumps and glittering jewelry.

During the event, the royal couple mingled with some of Britain's best musicians, including Paloma Faith and the band Busted, as well as actress Hannah Waddingham, among other stars. A fun night was had by all, if the Waleses' Instagram is to be believed.