Prince William and Kate Middleton Reunite With Their Wedding Singer Ellie Goulding

Prince William and Kate Middleton recently relived an unforgettable aspect of their wedding day: their reception music. On December 2, 2022, William’s Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony in Boston featured a special performance from Ellie Goulding, who also serenaded the couple at their 2011 wedding reception. After the show, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went backstage to catch up with the English singer-songwriter, according to People.

Back in 2011, Goulding sang her version of “Your Song,” originally written by Elton John, while Will and Kate shared a sweet first dance. In 2016, Goulding reflected back on that experience and opened up about all of the different emotions she felt at the time. “I mean, talk about scary,” she told Australian Vogue. “I was so nervous that my hands were shaking. That was one of my memories. I remember looking down and just seeing this. Chris, my pianist, I looked over at him, and he looks at me like, ‘Literally, you have just s*** yourself. I know it in your face that you’ve just literally pooed yourself.’”

The “Lights” singer also noted that she didn’t believe she was the star performer for the royal nuptials. “I thought I was a decoy,” she added. “I thought I was a decoy for someone else. It could happen! At the time, Lady Gaga was everywhere, and rightly so. She was killing it, and you know, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and then, you know, me.”

Goulding wasn’t the only one who performed at the Earthshot Prize Awards, though it's likely she's the one who Will and Kate most looked forward to seeing. Billie Eilish, Annie Lennox, and Chloe x Halle also shared their talent with the ceremony attendants. After the show, Will and Kate chatted with all of the performers backstage before attending a private reception, where they thanked those who helped execute the event.

In 2020, Prince William started the Earthshot Prize to discover and launch effective solutions that will repair our planet over the next 10 years, according to the official website. The initiative was inspired by the Moonshot, a goal that former president John F. Kennedy established in 1962 to land a man on the moon within 10 years. Will partnered with the John F. Kennedy Foundation to bring the Earthshot Prize to Boston, so they could celebrate the 2022 winners and finalists and honor the city’s sustainability achievements. The awards ceremony took place in Boston’s MGM Music Hall. Out of 15 finalists, five winners scored an award in the categories “Protect and Restore Nature,” “Clean Out Air,” “Revive Our Oceans,” “Build a Waste-Free World,” and “Fix Our Climate.”

For the event, Kate wore a bright green long-sleeve, off-the-shoulder dress by Solace London, and she accessorized with a sentimental piece of jewelry. The princess donned an emerald and diamond choker, which Princess Diana once wore in an untraditional way, CNN reports. During a 1985 tour of Australia with her then-husband, Prince Charles, the princess of Wales wore it across her forehead as a headband. Queen Elizabeth lent Diana the jewel.