How Bradley Walsh was warned not to address the royals during the Royal Variety Show – but ignored the advice during ‘awkward’ hosting stint

Bradley Walsh revealed he was warned not to address or make jokes about the royal family while hosting the Royal Variety Performance.

The TV presenter, 63, clearly ignored the advice this year, as he made several ‘awkward’ jokes at the expense of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Bradley’s gags didn’t land with many viewers, who took to social media to complain that the comedian was ‘painfully unfunny’ and ’embarrassing’

Just minutes into the show fans complained about his ‘boring’ opening as he made a about the royal family in front of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The Wales’ attended the event at the Royal Albert Hall with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel, who were in the UK on an official visit.

Bradley Walsh revealed he was warned not to address or make jokes about the royal family while hosting the Royal Variety Performance

The TV presenter, 63, clearly ignored the advice this year, as he made several ‘awkward’ jokes at the expense of the Prince and Princess of Wales

William and Kate entered the event with beaming smiles before they settled into the balcony with the Swedish royals while the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

Bradley opened the event with a few jokes, one of which was about him not being included on the King’s honours list.

Addressing Prince William, he said: ‘I have worked for your great nan, your nan, your granddad, your dad, and now I’m working for your Sir and Madam.

‘And I must say – ask me if I’ve got an MBE. Nah, ain’t got one. Ask me if I’ve got an OBE – nah, ain’t got one of them. Ask me if I’ve got a CBE – no!’

He went on to say ‘they’ve probably run out’ of those honours because ‘they give them all to people who row boats’ and ‘people on telly who bake cakes’.

Bradley said he ‘entertained troops in the Falklands’ and was ‘happy to make it out alive’ while others got commended for their ‘victoria sponge’ cakes.

He also told an anecdote of meeting his two-year-old grandson, who he ‘promised’ that he would ask Prince William for knighthood so the little boy could use the his grandfather’s title during ‘show-and-tell’ in nursery.

Earlier Bradley had greeted the ‘royal highnesses’, with the camera switching to William and Kate as they laughed away.

Before hosting the evening, Bradley first appeared as one of the performers on the show in 1993 (pictured) and revealed the wise words he received from the late Des O’Connor

Bradley’s gags didn’t land with many viewers, who took to social media to complain that the comedian was ‘painfully unfunny’ and ’embarrassing’

Just minutes into the show fans complained about his ‘boring’ opening as he made a about the royal family in front of Prince William and Kate Middleton

He pretended to stumble over the word ‘highnesses’ several times. ‘It doesn’t sound right, your royal highnessesses? There’s too many ‘ssessess’, innit? Your royal highness… your royal highnessesses?,’ he said.

‘It should be like cactus, cactussess, cacti. Your royal highness, highnessess and highni. That’s it. I’ve got it. Your royal highni.’ Meanwhile Kate and William were seen laughing at the awkward joke.

People on X, formerly known as Twitter, branded his opening sketch ‘cringe-worthy’ and ‘boring’.

One user said: ‘Bradley Walsh completely embarrassing at the beginning not funny at all begging to be given a cbe obe etc.’

Another added: ‘Bradley Walsh’s just not funny! Cringe-worthy start to show. Think he’s just gone to back of the list #RoyalVariety.’

This notion was echoed by another user who commented: ‘Agreed, normally love Bradley Walsh, but begging for gong is embarrassing.’

Viewers gave a firm thumbs down to the 2023 Royal Variety Performance

‘Bradley Walsh. Stand-up comedy isn’t for you,’ a third urged.

One user also wrote: ‘What a bore Bradley Walsh is.’

Before hosting the evening, Bradley first appeared as one of the performers on the show in 1993 and revealed the wise words he received from the late Des O’Connor.

Sharing Des’ advise about the royals during a 2016 interview with the Huffington Post, he said: ‘He [Des] said to me, ‘Imagine there are no TV cameras, just be yourself, don’t work to the cameras.’

‘But also, don’t work to the Queen, she’s not interested in comedy, she loves the ballet.’

Bradley said at the time he took the advise on board and the phone call ‘calmed his nerves’, however he has clearly since changed tact.

The former Corrie star also admitted that he thinks his big break potentially ‘set him back’ in his career.

Bradley was swamped with offers following the performance, however he later admitted he thinks he accepted the wrong ones.

Bradley went on to be offered more work on a television show, but believes this particular job set him back.

He explained: ‘I should have stuck to my guns, because actually it set me back three or four years in progression. So, yeah.’

On the advice he received from Jimmy Tarbuck, he added: ‘He said to me after the Royal Variety Performance, ‘People are going to come up and offer you all sorts of things. Be careful what you take. It’s the stuff you refuse, not the stuff you take’.

‘And I took the job, and I thought ‘Oh, this’ll be great,’ but I was locked into something I couldn’t really get out of.’

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