Hours before the concert aired, the Prince and Princess of Wales had already announced on social media that it would include “a special duet.” Many of their followers guessed that Charlotte would accompany her mother on the piano, but others speculated that Middleton had asked one of King Charles III’s cousins, Gabriella Windsor, who suffered a devastating loss last year when she was widowed at 42 after the sudden death of her husband.
The Princess of Wales previously played the piano during this Christmas concert in 2001. On that occasion, she was accompanied by Tom Walker, with whom she performed the song ” For Those Who Can’t Be Here” by this British composer. Middleton did something similar for the Eurovision Song Contest held in London two years ago, opening it by playing a few notes from Windsor Castle of the song that had given Ukraine the victory the previous year.
The Princess of Wales began taking piano lessons at the age of 10, the same age her daughter is now. Daniel Nicholls was her teacher and years ago spoke highly of her talent in the Evening Standard . “I don’t think anyone could have predicted she would become a professional, but she was good and did what was asked of her,” said Professor Nicholls, who in 2011 presented his former pupil with a piece he had composed for her wedding to Prince William .
Princess Diana also knew how to play the piano and demonstrated it publicly on one occasion. It was in 1988 during one of her tours of Australia. The then Princess of Wales was visiting a conservatory in Melbourne and played a piece by Sergei Rachmaninoff, leaving everyone speechless. Now, her granddaughter Charlotte is following in her footsteps.
This article was originally published by Vanity Fair Spain.