Lady Gabriella Kingston, née Windsor, known as Ella Windsor, has opened up about her festivities this year ahead of the release of a very special film on Christmas Eve.
The royal, who is the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, has lent her voice to a new animated live-action film, The Adventures of Sleepy The Magical Bear: The Movie, which was created by a cast and crew of 900 volunteers.
© GettyAhead of the release, Ella spoke to HELLO! about her excitement, experience and how she cannot wait for the younger members of her family to tune in.
"I'll definitely be showing them the film and the jazz scene over Christmas," she said. "I think they'll like the magical animals like Snorkel, the pink elephant."
Asked whether she has managed to get the family together before Christmas, Ella added: "Absolutely! We're having some very festive gatherings which I love."
© Lady Gabriella KingstonElla, who plays the role of Brambles the Badger, joined other cast members including Richard Armitage, Ryan Gage, Sylvester McCoy, Rick Wakeman, Anna Popplewell, Ian Lavender, Eddie The Eagle and Sophie Aldred.
"I loved the sound of this delightful children's story about Sleepy and his animal friends, to raise funds for NHS Charities Together," she explained. "I'm mad about animals, love children's stories and of course, it's such a great cause. I so admire the work of the NHS, especially during the pandemic, when so many were working endless shifts and couldn't even see their families.
"There's also such a brilliant cast and crew on the project, with everyone involved voluntarily. So, I was thrilled to do a little voiceover for Brambles the Badger."
© Lady Gabriella KingstonDue to the pandemic lockdown, the live-action was all filmed on the main cast's mobiles with green screens in their homes and via Zoom direction.
Writer and director D. M. Rivers created the film, which was released on Christmas Day on Sleepy's YouTube channel, to raise money for the NHS. All funds go to NHS Charities Together via Sleepy's Just Giving page.
The idea was born from his 16 books following the tales of Sleepy The Magical Bear, and the author's desire to help raise money for the NHS amid the UK's lockdowns.
On how she came to sing for the film, Ella shared: "In the process, the writer and director DM Rivers heard my music and asked me to contribute a song for an additional jazz scene created especially by the illustrators and animators.
"It turns out Sleepy is also a musical bear and has a band, Sleepy & the Sleepettes. I was honoured to have them play Meridians, which was sung by Jazzy, a purple cat. It's one of my new songs, including Before Tomorrow, which I'd already recorded in March in Argentina, at the end of a work trip."
After this incredible opportunity, Ella hopes to take part in "more music collaborations" in the future. "I've always loved music though the singing came later," she continued.
"I was involved with a wonderful music charity called Playing for Change where I met Enzo who is now my producer and I've been developing songs with him ever since. We started releasing the music in 2020 to raise awareness for the PFC Foundation.
"For me, as a writer, it normally starts with the lyrics and then I add the main melody by ear. After that, we bring in musicians for the rest. I haven't had much coaching though I'm starting to do more now. I’m an amateur and this is really a side project but I love it."
Singing has also been such a joy for Ella - so much so, that she even sang for her wedding guests when she tied the knot to Thomas Kingston back in 2019.
"I always enjoy singing - I get a bit nervous singing in front of others although yes, I did pluck up the courage to sing a song at my wedding," she divulged. "There was a great band though and their support made all the difference. It was a lot of fun doing it with them."
The Adventures of Sleepy The Magical Bear: The Movie is out now - click here to watch.
To donate to NHS Charities Together, please visit here.
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