Royal Variety Performance: Jack Whitehall roasted Prince Harry with an Afghanistan joke

Harry pretended to snub the comic at the show's close

(Getty)

Prince Harry refused to shake Jack Whitehall’s hand (for a moment, in jest) at the Royal Variety Performance last night, after the comedian rattled off a serious of jokes about him during his hosting of the show.

Whitehall didn’t pull any punches in spite of Harry’s royalty, mocking his reputation for hard-partying, continued single status and his ginger hair.

"I think you're the first person to get a Victoria Cross for bravery just for stepping out of the shade in Afghanistan,” he said during the ITV1 transmission, “I mean a ginger in that heat!"

The Prince seemed to take it on the chin, laughing at Whitehall’s gags, but couldn’t resist giving him a fright following the performance.

Harry did the traditional walk-along-a-queue-of-celebrities-shaking-their-hands segment that royals do, warmly greeting Sir Elton John before palming Whitehall off.

He doubled back though, and the pair laughed about the moment.

Whitehall also dressed as Harry Styles to poke fun at One Direction during the show, which saw performances from 1D, Kylie Minogue, ELO, Sir Elton John and Kacey Musgraves.