Charlotte rejects an audience with the Queen
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.THE WELSH singing prodigy Charlotte Church has turned down invitations from the Pope, the Queen and President Clinton to sing to them on New Year's Eve, preferring to see in the new millennium at home with her family.
Neither John Paul II, the Queen or Bill Clinton had the power to lure 13-year-old Church away from a celebration with her parents and grandparents. She has met all three of them before, but this time has opted to go with her family to a concert in Cardiff by her favourite band, the Manic Street Preachers.
"I decided to spend Christmas and the millennium with my family. So I said `No' - in the nicest possible way," said Church, whose first two albums catapulted her from being an unknown chorister to one of the best- selling singers in the world.
Church's New Year's Eve invitations included singing with Placido Domingo in the Vatican, performing John Taviner's work in the Millennium Dome in London just before midnight, and participating in a concert attended by President Clinton at the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington.
Church's manager, Jonathan Shalit, said: "She has had invitations to Malaysian islands, to millionaires' paradises, but she has decided to stay at home in Cardiff.
"She loves her grandparents, or her Nan and Bampa as she calls them, more than anyone in the world and spends much of her time at their house. She knows she has had some amazing invitations but, at the end of the day, she is a 13-year-old. These things have huge significance for adults, but not for her."
Church's debut album, Voice Of An Angel, went double platinum in Britain and platinum in the US when it came out last autumn. Last month she sang in a television advertisement for Ford that was seen by an estimated one billion people. Her new single, "Just Wave Hello", is out on 13 December.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments