Italian singer-songwriter Andrea Bocelli dazzled guests with his wonderful rendition of Ave Maria and Panis Angelicus during Princess Eugenie's wedding ceremony last week. The musician previously serenaded the Queen at her 90th birthday celebrations back in 2016. So Andrea's appearance would have been a welcome surprise to the royal family. But how did he form a friendship with them? It seems that it was all down to Eugenie's mother Sarah Ferguson. "Sarah Ferguson has been a very good friend of mine for many years now," the 60-year-old told Evening Standard.
© Photo: Getty ImagesAndrea Bocelli has been friends with the royals for years
"She invited me [to sing] for this reason: because we are very close friends. We met a long time ago in a TV studio. I heard somebody knocking on my door, I opened it, and it was her - and she was giving me her book. I think it was a sort of biography of her life." Andrea, who has been blind since the age of 12, performed the two songs alongside the members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). Speaking about the wedding, he added: "I was a little bit in trouble with my voice. I was very tired. I tried to warm my voice, I did my best, but in any case I had some cough and phlegm. But, yes, I was nervous."
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Eugenie and Jack, unlike Prince Harry and Meghan, chose a traditional, rather than a contemporary marriage service. They said their vows in front of a star-studded congregation of 850 people on Friday morning before enjoying an afternoon reception in Windsor Castle. At the end of the day, the newlyweds headed to the York family home Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park for the evening celebrations.
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