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'Gentle' Charles Meets the Divas From This is London, Dec 6 2000

There was a kiss for the Prince of Wales when he met pop divas Dame Shirley Bassey and Kylie Minogue at the Royal Variety Performance last night.

He greeted the diminutive duo backstage after the show, which also featured boy band Westlife, singers Ronan Keating and Lionel Ritchie and comedians Martin Clunes and Rowan Atkinson.

Ms Bassey kissed the Prince on both cheeks and told him she was sorry she had no flower to give him. The veteran singer, looking elegant in a black sequinned halter-neck dress, said she first got to know Charles 14 years ago when she performed in a show for the Prince's Trust.

"He is a very genuine and gentle man. I have been to a few of his parties and dinner at Highgrove," she said.

Ms Minogue, 32, who wowed the audience with her No 1 single, Spinning Around, and her new release Please Stay was happy to deny any romantic links between her and pop star Robbie Williams, who recently teamed up with her for the song Kids. She said they shared a "magical chemistry" on stage but that was the extent of the passion.

The show, at the Dominion Theatre, also featured Ben Elton as host, Julian Clary, Dominic Holland and a youth choir from Omagh. It will be shown on BBC1 on 17 December.

© 2000 Associated Newspapers Ltd.

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