Camilla and Charles attend premiere

Camilla Parker Bowles took fashionable inspiration from last night’s premiere of The Woman In White, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical.

She joined the Prince of Wales for the royal gala performance of the £4m (€6m) adaptation of the Wilkie Collins Victorian thriller, starring Michael Crawford.

Suitably dressed to match the show’s title, Charles’s companion wore a floaty white silk Paddy Campbell evening dress embroidered with a turquoise and gold paisley pattern for the black tie event in aid of the Prince’s Trust.

Security was tight for Charles’s royal engagement in view of yesterday’s breach at Buckingham Palace when a Fathers 4 Justice protester scaled the royal residence to demonstrate on a ledge.

In The Woman In White, Crawford plays the Italian villain Count Fosco and Maria Friedman is the heroine Marian.

The score is by Lloyd Webber, and the production is directed by Sir Trevor Nunn.

Before the performance, Charles and Camilla met the composer in the foyer of the Palace Theatre in London and wished them well.

“The Prince said he hopes it goes all right and I said ‘I hope so too’,” Lloyd Webber said.

It was Crawford’s first return to the West End for 18 years after appearing in Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera in 1986.

After the show, Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles met the stars backstage - including Crawford, who was almost unrecognisable in costume.

Camilla said to the actor, who was dressed in an enormous fat suit, a curly haired wig and wearing heavy stage makeup to fatten his cheeks and chin: “Promise me that you’re underneath that.”

Crawford replied: “Someone in the audience – a friend of mine – said ’Oh my God, hasn’t he changed.

“There’s an icepack in there,” he added patting his round stomach. “It’s pretty warm by the time the evening ends.”

Describing his return to the West End, the 62-year-old Crawford said it was lovely to be back.

“It was wonderful. It’s always nerve-racking,” he added.

Friedman, who played the character of Marian, revealed that the Prince told her he loved the musical.

Director Sir Trevor said the performance was “nail biting” for him, but added he was pleased with the show, which used high-tech computer graphics to simulate background scenery.

Among the guests attending were actor Simon Callow, Duncan from boy band Blue and chat show host Michael Parkinson.

Lloyd Webber told Charles he would be inviting six youngsters, involved in the youth charity The Princes Trust, for a day’s work experience at the newly renovated theatre.

The Prince’s Trust helps young people overcome difficulties through training, mentoring and financial assistance.