Now that the United Kingdom’s second national lockdown has lifted, some aspects of everyday life can return to normal. Prince William and Kate Middleton have commenced their three-day royal train tour to resume in-person duties this weekend. The couple left London’s Euston Station yesterday evening and boarded the Queen’s fancy royal train and are all set to spend three days traveling across England, Scotland and Wales.
According to a press release from Kensington Palace, Prince William and Duchess Kate will embark upon the Mini-Royal Train Tour “ahead of the Christmas holidays to pay tribute to the incredible work of individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond in response to the coronavirus pandemic.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had an exciting station experience where they were greeted by a live band, headed up by Welsh singer Shakin’ Stevens, who played his festive hit, Merry Christmas Everyone – which was explicitly requested by the couple.
The singer, whose real name is Michael Barratt, spoke to the Evening Standard, “I’m loving it, it was lovely to be invited. And it was them who chose the song. Over the moon… They picked it!” He went on and said, “It (The UK) needs something to cheer us up doesn’t it? Because what we’ve got, we don’t know how long it’s going to go on for, so you have got to keep your pecker up.”
The song is undoubtedly the royal pair’s favorite, as the Kensington Palace official Instagram account also revealed a snipped of the performance, featuring Princess Kate dancing to this song from the 80s.
On the Instagram post, the account wrote, “As the #RoyalTrainTour was about to start, Shakin’ Stevens ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ echoed around Euston Station in London. Before departing last night, The Duke and Duchess met with inspiring transport workers who have gone out of their way to ensure people feel safe and secure throughout this difficult year.”