The audience at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre got a one-of-a-kind mini-encore performance on Wednesday night — and, fair warning, you’re gonna wish you hadn’t missed it. After enjoying the production of Hamilton, Prince Harry took the stage and showed off his acting chops. Granted, Harry isn’t likely to trade it all in and join an acting troupe anytime soon. The Duke of Sussex only belted out a few notes, singing the first two words of “You’ll Be Back.” In the play, the piece is sung by the character of King George III.
More: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Ignore Family Drama, Get a Dog
“You say,” Harry sang, eliciting an immediate outburst of laughter and applause from the cast and audience alike. He quickly stopped, reassuring the audience, “That’s definitely not going to happen.” He then joked of Lin-Manuel Miranda trying to recruit him to join the production, “He did try, but I said no.”
"You say…"
Thank you to the cast and crew of @HamiltonWestEnd for a fantastic performance, raising awareness and funds for @Sentebale's work with children and young people affected by HIV #HamiltonLDNpic.twitter.com/M5hmjTfhEz
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) August 29, 2018
According to Newsweek, Miranda discussed his excitement over the royal guests ahead of the night’s performance, saying, “The prince’s sixth-great-grandfather is a character so that’ll be fun and surreal for all of us. You don’t get that every day.”
And while Hamilton boasts many famous fans, Miranda admitted this one was special.
“We’ve had some popular folks come see our show but you don’t often get a direct descendant of one of your main characters. That’s very exciting and I’m very curious to see their reception,” he said.
More: Prince William & Prince Harry Are So Handsome, They Even Make Great Portrait Subjects
While Harry and new wife Duchess Meghan (née Markle) of Sussex are undoubtedly patrons of the arts, this wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill night at the theater. Rather, it was a charity performance to raise money for Harry’s charity Sentebale, which supports the mental health and well-being of young people affected by HIV.
While onstage, Harry expressed his gratitude to the audience for helping him to “raise a huge amount of money to change the lives of thousands of children in Botswana and Lesotho,” noting that through the work the money will fund, they can stop the “hand-down of the stigma of HIV.”
More: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Won’t Have Custody of Their Future Children
A worthy cause, and one that was also important to Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. All told, the evening raised an impressive $390,000 for Sentable.
Maybe the next charity performance will see Meghan take the stage too. After all, we already know she’s got the acting down. And even though she left that career behind for royal life, certainly no one would mind if she trots it out for a good cause occasionally, right?
Leave a Comment