Jack Whitehall has revealed he almost sparked a diplomatic incident when he told US singer Demi Lovato to “have a little feel” of the Duchess of Cambridge’s baby bump during the line-up at the Royal Variety Performance.

Jack Whitehall meeting Kate Middleton
Jack Whitehall meeting the Duchess of Cambridge at the Royal Variety Performance (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

The Bad Education star said the pair, who both performed on the night, were waiting to be introduced to Kate and husband William when the American asked him what the “protocol” was for asking about the baby.

Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato (Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP)

He told Jonathan Ross: “She was very nice, very sweet but American and didn’t necessarily buy into my sense of humour and everyone is very nervous when the Royal family are coming around and she asked me what the protocol was with the royal bump, ‘Can we talk about the baby and stuff?’, and as a joke I said ‘The Duchess of Cambridge I think would be offended if you didn’t have a little feel’ as a joke.

“She takes it completely at face value and as Kate Middleton is coming along the line, I suddenly realise that we’ve got a situation here where either I need to step in and tell her that it was a joke and look like an idiot or potentially Demi Lovato from Frozen is about to get taken out by a police marksmen, so I told her.”

Jack Whitehall
(Ian West/PA Wire)

Appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday, Whitehall also revealed he nearly talked himself into more trouble by saying he had a crush on the duchess when they were both students at Marlborough College.

He said: “I referred to her as ‘The one that got away’ and then I flirted a little because I said that she was one of my first crushes at school and then in the line-up William came over and he was very funny, he was very nice but very passive aggressive, ‘Oh so you were flirting with my missus?’”

See the full interview on The Jonathan Ross Show on ITV on Saturday at 10:45pm.