Prince Charles and Camilla don their finery as they visit the Royal Opera House 

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have enjoyed a rare night out on the town together.

The couple, married for 16 years, slipped away tonight to enjoy a performance by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House to celebrate the return of the arts and entertainment post lockdown.

Prince Charles, 72, and Camilla, 73, watched Balanchine and Robbins, which celebrates the two legendary American choreographers, at the London venue. 

The Prince of Wales (pictured left) and the Duchess of Cornwall (pictured right) have enjoyed an evening at the Royal Opera House

Prince Charles, 72, and Camilla, 73, dressed in all their finery, attended a performance by The Royal Ballet at the London venue (pictured)

Camilla looked effortlessly elegant for her outing with her husband in a floral silk, blue Fiona Clare frock, embellished with white flowers.

She teamed her sophisticated look with a tan handbag and matching high heels, while sporting a blue face mask.

The Duchess of Cornwall, who wore her blonde hair coiffured away from her face, kept her makeup minimal and opted for a fine layering of mascara.

She completed her ensemble with several gold bracelets as well as a pair of dazzling earrings and her favoured golden heart necklace.

Charles, who has been patron of the Royal Opera since 1975, looked equally charming in a smart suit with a light blue tie. 

Camilla (pictured) looked effortlessly elegant for her outing with her husband in a floral silk, blue frock, embellished with white flowers.

The royal (pictured) teamed her sophisticated look with a tan handbag and matching high heels, while sporting a blue face mask

Theatres have been closed since the first lockdown, although some were briefly opened at reduced capacity. Indoor events were once again allowed from May 17 with socially distanced performances.

Prince Charles is a lifelong fan of the opera and the ballet, and a regular at Covent Garden with the Duchess of Cornwall.

On arrival they were greeted by Alex Beard, chief executive of the Royal Opera House, Sir Simon Robey, interim chairman, and Kevin O’Hare, director of The Royal Ballet.

The prince and duchess were allowed to enjoy the performance privately but afterwards attended a reception to meet the performers and Royal Opera House staff.

Ballerina Mayara Magri said afterwards: ‘I cannot tell you how excited we are to have them here.

The Duchess of Cornwall (pictured arriving with her husband), who wore her blonde hair coiffured away from her face, kept her makeup minimal and opted for a fine layering of mascara

‘The prince said how wonderful it was to be back seeing a live performance again, and I told him it was the same for us to be here, performing. It’s just marvellous and so exciting. It was such a pleasure to have them here.‘

Miss Magri explained how the ballet company has had to rehearse for hours on end in masks but are allowed to perform without them.

‘It felt like freedom!’ she exclaimed. ‘They seemed so happy to be here and definitely picked the right performance to see.

‘We are all just really hoping that we don’t go back a step. I can’t even bear to think about that. We must think positive.’

The Royal Opera House was forced to close its doors just before Christmas and is still operating at only 40 per cent capacity because of social distancing.

Charles (pictured right), who has been patron of the Royal Opera since 1975, looked equally charming in a smart suit with a light blue tie

Both Charles and Camilla have had a jam-packed schedule today, with the Prince of Wales launching a charity cycle ride in Highgrove and attending a meeting with business leaders ahead of the G7 summit.

Meanwhile, Camilla attended the opening of an exhibition in the Garden Museum on London‘s South Bank today.  

Camilla, 73, toured the annual British Flowers Week festival, in collaboration with New Covent Garden Flower Market.

The royal, looking elegant in a vibrant blue, summer frock with an exotic bird print,  spoke about her love of flowers and ‘passion’ for arranging them.

She also paid tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh on what would have been his 100th birthday after receiving a bouquet filled with rosemary ‘for remembrance’.

As she was presented with the flowers, she commented about Prince Philip and her own late father, Major Bruce Shand, who died on June 11 2006, aged 89.

The duchess said: ‘I’m thrilled to be here today. It would have been the birthday of the Duke of Edinburgh and tomorrow would be the day of the death of my father, and I’m very honoured to be here today, doing something I know they would have appreciated.’