Kensington Palace, the royal home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their months old son Prince George, was transformed into an enchanted winter wonderland on Tuesday (November 26) as part of a charity benefit attended by celebrities including Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi.
Prince William, a patron of the Centrepoint charity since 2009, met youths supported by the organisation -- which is dedicated to helping youth homelessness -- after earlier hosting Swift and Bon Jovi at a reception before a dinner and musical performances.
Arriving on the blue carpet without Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge, also known as Kate, the Duke earlier talked with American superstar singers Swift and Bon Jovi, the former having flown straight after picking up four awards at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday (November 24).
The seven-time Grammy Award winning Swift, wearing a bare Reem Acra dress on a cold autumnal evening, said that the work being done by Centrepoint was important to support.
"I think that that is an amazing thing to focus on and draw attention to," she told Reuters Television.
"I've always really respected Prince William and I think that just getting to be a part of tonight - there are some amazing musicians playing too, musicians I really admire. So all in all, getting the invitation, I knew it was going to be a lot of travel. I kind of walked right off stage after an acceptance speech at the AMAs and got right on a plane. But it was worth it," she said.
Estimates for the amount of young people that experience homelessness in the UK annually are up to 80,000, according to Centrepoint.
Founded in 1969, Centrepoint says it is dedicated to ending youth homelessness and has helped more than 95,000 homeless young people.
In 2009 the Duke, who has been a patron of Centrepoint since 2005, slept rough on the streets of London with Centrepoint CEO, Seyi Obakin, to deepen his understanding of youth homelessness and its devastating impact on young lives.
Prince William was later due to present the Centrepoint Great Britain Youth Inspiration Award, founded by Centrepoint Trustee Danielle Alexandra and Obakin - both of whom accompanied Prince William down the blue carpet on the evening - for Bon Jovi's dedication to humanitarian work.
Bon Jovi is the founder of the Soul Foundation, which provides solutions and opportunities for families and individuals in economic despair.
The American rocker, who brought his whole family to Kensington Palace, said homelessness continued to be a critical issue across all countries, and one that he was prepared to sleep on the streets to highlight.
"What we do here in the JBJ Soul Foundation is legitimate, I didn't come here for a chicken dinner," he said.
"This is what we do for years, and we're very aware of and participate in everything we do, whether it's building houses or catering to those in need in our restaurant, and we've been doing it a number of years. It's hell sleeping out, but could I do it? Sure. Would I do it? Absolutely," he added, later saying it was great to finally meet William.
"I realise I've met his father, I've met his grandmother, his grandfather, his uncles, but I had not met him before, so it was nice when they rung me up and wanted to make us see Seyi because our work is very similar to Centrepoint's work," Bon Jovi said.
Last year's event was held at the Royal Albert Hall, but with Kensington Palace providing the setting for this year's event it was also the first ever live concert to take place at this historic royal palace.
Bon Jovi was due to headline the evening, along with Swift, with the concert also due to feature performances by artists including James Blunt, Eliza Doolittle, classical young artist of the year, Charlie Siem, The Ruen Brothers, and Flawless, as well as a performance from Centrepoint young person, Olivia Sabat, who performed for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a Centrepoint hostel in December 2011.
23-year-old record breaking country and pop singer Swift told Reuters Television that rumours she was looking at property in London were true, but refused to confirm whether or not she would be moving to the British capital.
"I'm here a lot, so any place that I go a lot I've checked out real estate, but I wouldn't get a place unless I found the perfect place, but I definitely love it here so I've always thought about what it would be like to maybe be here more," she said.
After her brief relationship with One Direction star Harry Styles ended earlier this year Swift said there was no one currently in her life.
"I've got nothing on the romantic horizon," she told Reuters Television before heading into the dinner being hosted inside the palace.
Prince William also met with other supporters of the charity, as well as some of the youths the charity has helped, with whom he had his photograph taken.