Multitalented Kate Middleton Surprises Fans With Her Piano Skills

Dec 29, 2021 by apost team

Despite the many public controversies that have plagued the royal family during the past couple of years, Kate Middleton is still known for her poise, elegance and charm. It’s no wonder, then, that 60% of the British public has a positive opinion of the duchess.

What many may not know is that Middleton may be even more amazing and impressive than she seems in the media and during public events. Not only is the Duchess of Cambridge an accomplished photographer and super mom, but she can also play the piano.

Her musical abilities were on display on Christmas Eve this year when Middleton surprised viewers by accompanying the singer-songwriter Tom Walker on piano. The duo performed the Scottish musician’s new Christmas single, “For Those Who Can’t Be Here,” as part of the "Royal Carols: Together At Christmas” concert.

The TV special was meant to thank frontline workers for their service during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the special aired on Christmas Eve, Middleton and Walker’s performance was recorded on Dec. 8 at  Westminster Abbey.

"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 practiced it, and then we finally got to do the recording of it," Walker said of working with Middleton in an interview with BBC.

"And I was really impressed because 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.

"I think we were both really nervous that it wasn't going to go quite to plan and one of us would let down the other person or whatever, but she was absolutely fabulous — she smashed it," Walker added.

According to Classic FM, Middleton learned to play piano as a child, taking lessons from Daniel Nicholls from 11 to 13 years old.

"She was lovely, she was a normal student and very pleasant,” Nicholls told the BBC in 2011.

However, Nicholls added that he didn’t think Middleton “was ever going to be a concert pianist."

That said, Middleton is clearly musical. In 2017, she even had a go at conducting the Hamburg Philharmonic at the Elbphilharmonie’s concert hall. It was there that the duchess also took the time to introduce the orchestra’s instruments to her audience of 250 schoolchildren.

The duchess’s most recent musical appearance has received abundant praise in the press and from online viewers.

“Catherine does her duty to Queen and Country in her graceful way, surprising people along the way. She will be an amazing Queen consort. I have lost count of the times I've watched Catherine's performance along with Tom, and everytime there's a few tears. Bring this out as a charity single and it will be number one in a heartbeat! Massive congratulations to Catherine and everyone involved,” Susan Lawrence commented on YouTube.

“Like everything Katherine does it was understated, refined and most elegantly done. She is a blessing,” another viewer added.

Middleton is in good company, as multiple royals have musical talents. Her mother-in-law, the late Princess Diana, also played piano.

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According to Buzzfeed News, the princess impressed onlookers when she played Sergei Rachmaninoff’s "Piano Concerto No. 2" by heart while on a trip to an Austrian music camp.

Additionally, Middleton’s father-in-law, Prince Charles, studied cello, and Queen Elizabeth II learned to play piano and sing when she was younger.

The duchesses talents don’t end there.

Not only is Middleton a St. Andrews graduate of History of Art, but the 38-year-old super mom was even inducted into the Royal Photographic Society in recognition for her "talent and enthusiasm” as a photographer, according to Express.

The tabloid also reports that Middleton’s royal profile specifically mentions her love of taking pictures: "The Duchess's enthusiasm for photography saw her taking photographs as part of her role during her time working within Party Pieces, a family company owned and run by her parents,” the website read, according to Express.

Many of the photos Middleton and Prince William release on their social media accounts have been taken by the duchess.

"Kate is genuinely good at taking portraits,” said The Sun’s royal photographer, Arthur Edwards. "She fills the frame and uses natural light. She has captured some amazing pictures of her children.”

That’s high praise coming from the pros.

One of Middleton’s most recent portraits was a photo of Prince George, which the royal family posted on his 8th birthday.

Regardless of your opinion of the royal family or Middleton, one thing is clear: the duchess is a talented individual who, despite her role as a public figure, somehow finds the time to practice piano and be a wonderful photographer. And that’s all on top of being a mother!

What do you think of Middleton’s Christmas Eve performance? Did you know that she could play the piano? Let us know — and pass this story on to others.