he Christmas Carol service organised by the Princess of Wales is a royal regular now, celebrating those who help others in a special festive event at Westminster Abbey. It’s now in its third year. However, the first time it was held it was the Princess herself who ensured it captured headlines with a surprise piano performance that wowed TV audiences.
The unexpected star turn was seen on Christmas Eve 2021 when the then Duchess of Cambridge delighted British television viewers as she performed on the piano at the Royal Carols service.
It was the first time Her Royal Highness demonstrated her pianist skills publicly.
Catherine performed alongside singer Tom Walker in the programme ‘Royal Carols: Together at Christmas’ which was broadcast on ITV.
The service was organised as a thank you to the millions of people who had been supporting their communities during the pandemic.
Catherine and Tom Walker performed his famous hit ‘Leave A Light On’ following many weeks of secret rehearsals.
Walker said that his performance was ‘very secret’ and that ‘even the studio didn’t know what was going on’.
He said: “We were sitting on opposite sides of the room for Covid, rehearsing. So we got together, we rehearsed the song like nine times and by the end of it she’d absolutely nailed it, and then she went away for a couple of days and practised it, and then we finally got to do the recording of it.”
He added: “It’s one thing playing along with me in a studio, just the two of us, but then to jump straight in to playing with a live string quartet and a pianist and two backing singers, all of which she’d never met before, and then doing live takes in front of the camera – that’s a whole other jump from jamming.”
The Christmas Carol Concert is now a regular feature with the third annual event taking place on December 8th 2023. It will be broadcast on December 24th 2023 on ITV1 although whether another royal recital is included is yet to be seen.
