Kate Middleton stunned fans with a moving piano performance at Westminster Abbey. Clad in a beautiful red gown, the Duchess sat at the piano and played along to Tom Walker’s song, which honored all “those who can’t be here”.
At the end of the performance, Kate gave Tom Walker a smile that spoke volumes, but Tom feels that he should be the one overflowing with gratitude.
Let’s be honest, the Duchess of Cambridge made Christmas a little brighter for millions of people around the world, so, what does she get in return?
Tom Walker’s Song is Booming after Surprise Performance with Kate Middleton
The Duchess of Cambridge obviously still has a few tricks hidden in her royal sleeve and her latest one – a moving performance with Scottish singer-songwriter Tom Walker – has gotten royal fans thrilled.
But the fans aren’t the only ones celebrating, as Tom Walker is grateful that his song is soaring high post-Duchess performance. The Christmas concert was broadcast on ITV in the U.K. on Friday. A clip of the performance was also shared on Tom Walker and the Cambridge’s official YouTube channel, where millions have watched it to date.
Following the surprise collaboration, the song happily skipped to No. 3 on iTunes chart dated December 26. Now, Walker is calculating the royalties he probably owes the mom of three.
“It was so well charts received, I probably owe her royalties now. She sent me a letter thanking me for the opportunity but it should be me thanking her,” Tom said of their performance for ITV’s Royal Carols: Together At Christmas.
“The song has jumped 57 places in the charts. It was a wonderful experience and she was so warm. She made the effort to thank all the musicians but it was us who felt so grateful to be part of something so special.”
He recalled meeting up with the Duchess for rehearsal beforehand, “and I gave her a recording of the track without the piano part so she could practise. It was obvious she had taken the time to perfect it. She was brilliant.”
He also recalled Kate’s nervousness prior to the performance, adding that it somewhat confused him. “You think the Royal Family almost don’t get nervous, they’re so used to the spotlight. But this was obviously a very different, new experience for her.”
Tom Walker Describes How the “Surprise Collaboration” Came to Be
The wheels for a future collaboration started turning when Walker performed at a charity event that the Duchess attended. When he received an invitation to play at the choir service, he sent in his song, but never guessed who would be performing with him.
“So I sent [the song] over to the team and they absolutely loved it, and then a week later they came back and said, ‘Um, would it be alright if the duchess played along with you?'” Walker told the BBC in an interview. “And I was like ‘What?'”
Walker and Middleton later met up and started rehearsing their parts. “She picked it up so well, it’s really not easy to go from not playing with other musicians for like 10 years to jumping straight in with like a whole band you’ve never met and camera crews doing live takes that’s being filmed in Westminster Abbey so I thought it just went so well,” said Walker. “She’s [a] very talented musician.”
Walker kept his famous collaborator a secret from everyone, even his own mother. “She was in floods of tears watching it on the telly,” he said. “It was beautiful.”
Be sure to catch up on everything happening with The Royal Family right now. Come back here often for all The Royal Family spoilers, news, and updates.
