The Princess of Wales and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, stunned fans when they joined forces for a piano recital at the start of Kate's annual Together at Christmas carol concert, which was filmed on 5 December.
In a pre-recorded piece of footage, which was shot at Windsor Castle, the mother-daughter duo were seen playing Holm Sound, a piece of music that was originally composed by Erland Cooper and inspired by his love of Orkney, in the Shetland Islands. The piece is classed as being 'moderately' difficult, suiting those around Grade 4-6.
Erland was personally invited by the Princess of Wales in order to witness the moment, and speaking of watching the pair play, he said: "It was just lovely. I think I was there for a little bit of encouragement. I mean, imagine anybody performing a piece of music in front of a film crew, and then the person who wrote it. Princess Charlotte played beautifully, she really has a wonderful way of playing the lighter notes just beautifully. So we were able to celebrate in that together.
He added: "It's certainly one of my favourite winter solstice moments. To walk into the castle, to be greeted by a Steinway grand piano, and then to have a really poignant recital and performance. It was a very special, sort of quiet moment. There's a power in reaching out to people, and that's what they did here."
Erland continued: "We [him and Kate] had a very warm, creative conversation earlier in the year, which was lovely, and then it culminated with an invitation to Windsor Castle. The princess asked, 'Would it be okay if we perform this piece of music that we so enjoy together?'
"It was such a lovely request, so I said absolutely no problem at all. I was invited to witness this incredible bond between mother and daughter performing together and for that I am so grateful. And there's a wonderful bit of serendipity as the piece was composed and dedicated to my mum, also called Charlotte, they didn't know about, that it's about motherhood, and how family plays such an important role and such a key part to all of this.
"The Princess and I both have a sort of shared love of music that celebrates the natural world and its rejuvenation and the wonder that you know that comes from it. There's so much joy and warmth and creativity and ideas surrounding those themes."
Kate's piano skills
The royal has been a keen pianist since she started playing the instrument when she was 10. However, the royal mum-of-three only rarely shows off her skills in public, with the first instance taking place back in 2021, also for her carol concert.
She accompanied Tom Walker on the piano as he performed his poignant song, For Those Who Can't Be Here, during the programme. Tom has since described his and the royal's duet as a "once-in-a-lifetime experience."
She also surprised viewers back in 2023, when she made a cameo appearance at the Eurovision Song Concert, which was held in Liverpool that year, where she performed from the Crimson Drawing Room in Windsor Castle.
Following Kate's performance, the official Twitter account for the Prince and Princess of Wales tweeted: "A #Eurovision surprise. A pleasure to join Kalush Orchestra in a special performance of last year's winning @eurovision entry. Enjoy the show, Liverpool."
Her love of the piano is something she has also passed on to her daughter. In November 2021, Kate spoke with Chinese pianist Lang Lang at the Royal Variety Performance, where he revealed: "We talked about Charlotte. Her Royal Highness talked about Charlotte's piano playing, I'm sure she's very good.
"Her Royal Highness said to me that she said to Princess Charlotte, 'Hey, look, if you practise a lot you can be like him'. So I'm happy to be helpful a little bit. It's really funny, I was like, wow, I'm sure she will do well at the piano. I think she is practising."