The Princess of Wales revealed that Princess Charlotte, 7, is diligently practicing the piano – a hobby she also pursued as a child and has shown off her talent several times over the years.
Kate, 41, mentioned her daughter’s musical interests while chatting with pianist Lang Lang at the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall on November 30. The mother-of-three attended the event with Prince William and Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel of Sweden, who were visiting the UK last week.
“We talked about Charlotte. The princess shared that her little princess plays the piano. I’m sure she plays very well,” said artist Lang Lang. “The princess confided that she told her daughter, ‘Look, if you practice a lot and work hard, you will be like him.’”
Lang Lang, 40, was among the performers at the Royal Variety Charity’s annual fundraiser on the evening of November 30, playing the piano alongside a young girl called Lucy. Lucy, 13, who is blind and autistic, won the first season of The Piano competition earlier this year. Lang Lang is a judge on the show and said Kate asked him to perform with her.
“The princess asked me how long we practiced together and how we discovered Lucy,” the artist shared.
Kate and her daughter watch a Wimbledon match in July 2023. Photo: Tim Clayton
An interest in music seems to run in the William and Kate family. Princess Charlotte and Prince George, 10, were seen dancing in the front row at the Coronation Concert for King Charles III in May.
Princess Charlotte was seen singing along to Katy Perry’s Roar while sitting in the royal family box. Kate’s new revelations about Charlotte’s piano practice show that mother and daughter have similar interests.
The Princess of Wales has shown off her piano skills twice in the past two years, continuing a passion that began in childhood. Classic FM reported that Kate was passionate about music at school, pursuing piano, flute and choir. Her former piano teacher, Daniel Nicholls, once said he taught the future Queen in the 1990s, from the age of 10 or 11 until she was 13.
“It was great teaching piano to her, she was a really lovely and interesting person. I don’t think anyone said she would be a concert pianist, but she was good at it, always did well,” Mr Nicholls said.
Decades later, Kate turned to the piano during the Covid-19 pandemic and found it “very relaxing” to play music, a royal source told People at the time. At the inaugural Royal Carols: Together At Christmas performance in December 2021, she surprised everyone with her opening piano performance.
“Music has been very important to the Princess during lockdown. She has also realised how powerfully music can bring people together – especially during difficult times,” a source said.
This spring, Duchess Kate played the piano again in support of the Eurovision Song Contest, contributing a short instrumental performance to the opening film of the famous European competition, which is hosted by the UK on behalf of Ukraine.
Kate performed their winning piece, “Stefania”, with the 2022 Eurovision winners, Kalush Orchestra, in May in the Scarlet Drawing Room of Windsor Castle.
Last month, Kensington Palace announced that Kate would preside over the third annual Christmas service at Westminster Abbey. The event will take place on December 8 and will be broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve, as in previous years.
