Harping On

‘GIVEN that Prince Charles has a Royal Toothpaste Squeezer, a Royal Nose Wiper and a Royal Bottom Scratcher, it comes as no surprise to learn that he also has a Royal Harpist on his payroll.

‘I knew I forgot something – the harp!’

After all, who of us can get by in this day and age without someone to pluck a few strings and help us unwind at the end of a long day?

Certainly not us at Anorak, who have recently appointed our very own office harpist.

And certainly not the heir to the throne, who has reinstated a tradition that died with Queen Victoria and appointed a Royal Harpist To The Prince Of Wales.

‘To be eligible for the position, you had to be Welsh and under the age of 25,’ explains 23-year-old the incumbent Catrin Finch (who is currently studying at the Royal Academy Of Music).

‘It really was a case of right time, right age, right nationality.’

The same could be said of the Anorak harpist, who tradition dictates must be a 22-year-old Scandinavian blonde (ability on the harp not essential).

But while Ulrika (who just happened to be advertising her services in a phone box next to the Anorak offices) is more likely to feature in your top-shelf magazines, Catrin is very much an Hello! girl.

And she tells that magazine how nervous she was when she first played for the Prince at a dinner for the Welsh Assembly.

‘He said how proud he was of me and how excited he was about reinstating a royal harpist,’ she says.

‘That made me instantly more relaxed about it all. Now I play for him about six times a year and am paid £2,500 for the role.’

Ulrika, on the other hand, prefers to charge by the hour…

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Posted: 23rd, July 2003 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink