Kalush Orchestra invite Kate Middleton to join them on tour

By Gwyn Wright, PA

Last year’s Ukrainian Eurovision winners have invited Kate Middleton to tour with them after she played the piano during the opening performance of this year’s contest.

Kate played a pre-recorded instrumental piece, created by Joe Price and Kojo Samuel, during a performance by Kalush Orchestra.

The hip-hop folk band congratulated the princess on her “impressive” piano skills and thanked her for joining them, saying it highlighted the “depth of support” the UK had for the war-torn country.

The band said in a statement: “We want to thank HRH Princess of Wales for joining us for our performance.

“It shows the depth of support the UK has for Ukraine and helps us highlight to the world what our country is going through.

“It also shows impressive piano skills and we would be definitely like to invite her to tour with us if she would like to pursue a new career in a hip-hop folk band?!”

The opening film showed Kalush Orchestra performing last year’s winning entry Stefania from the Maidan Nezalezhnosti metro station in the heart of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

A #Eurovision surprise 🎹

A pleasure to join Kalush Orchestra in a special performance of last year's winning @eurovision entry.

Enjoy the show, Liverpool 🪩 pic.twitter.com/y4WDuWvOvb

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 13, 2023

It also included contributions from Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sam Ryder, Ms Banks, Ballet Black, Bolt Strings and Joss Stone.

The princess wore a blue Jenny Packham dress and earrings which belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth during the 10-second clip, which was recorded in the Crimson Drawing Room of Windsor Castle earlier this month.

The princess, who has grade three piano and grade five theory, previously accompanied pop star Tom Walker on piano while he sang his previously unheard Christmas song For Those Who Can’t Be Here during a carol service she hosted at Westminster Abbey in 2021.

The service, which was broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve that year, paid tribute to the work of “inspirational” people who had served their communities during the pandemic.

Walker later revealed that the duet had left his mother in “floods of tears”.