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Composer Says Kate and Charlotte 'Needed No Direction' for Christmas Piano Duet

The pre-recorded performance of Holm Sound aired during the Princess of Wales’s carol service on ITV.

Overview

  • Scottish composer Erland Cooper said he was invited to Windsor Castle for the filming and found the mother-daughter duo already polished, calling Princess Charlotte "very confident."
  • The duet was recorded in Windsor Castle’s Inner Hall on December 5 and featured in ITV’s Christmas Eve broadcast rather than being performed live at Westminster Abbey.
  • Kate played the left-hand part and 10-year-old Charlotte played the right-hand part for Cooper’s piece Holm Sound.
  • Cooper said Holm Sound was written for his mother, also named Charlotte, and explores themes of motherhood and generational connection.
  • Kensington Palace shared the segment on social media with a message about "love and connection through music," drawing warm reactions as coverage noted Charlotte’s ongoing piano lessons disclosed in 2023.