The Princess of Wales had another low-key engagement on Thursday afternoon with a trip to see the English National Ballet, marking another strong show of support for performing arts in the United Kingdom.
Her Royal Highness was able to see the English National Ballet perform Akram Khan’s Giselle at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London.
On X (formerly Twitter) she shared her thoughts, saying ”Congratulations and thank you to @ENBallet and @Sadlerrs_Wells for the wonderfully powerful, moving and inspiring performance of Akram Khan’s Giselle. Creativity at its best! C”
Khan’s version of Giselle first premiered in 2016 in Manchester and has been widely praised by critics and audiences alike. Khan re-imagined the beloved Romantic ballet in a futuristic setting in a community of migrant garment factory workers rather than a medieval village.
In the UK, the performing arts largely depend on government funding and philanthropic giving to support their companies, theatres, and productions. The Princess of Wales’ visit to the ENB will provide a needed boost of publicity to ballet and the arts in general in the UK, and it is fortunate that she has chosen to undertake this engagement given her limited autumn schedule.
In June 2024, it was announced that Her Majesty Queen Camilla would be serving as Royal Patron of the English National Ballet, a role previously held by the Duke of York.
Both Prince George and Princess Charlotte have taken ballet classes, so perhaps a love of ballet runs in the family.
