‘Meghan, you’re not kidding us!’: Social media users joke that the Duchess of Sussex was heavily disguised to enter Westminster Abbey (but in fact it was a well-known composer whose work was played during the service )
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While Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, remained in Montecito with her two children, Lilibet and Archie, some eagle-eyed Twitter users were convinced she had made it to Westminster Abbey.
Speculating that the Duchess might have snuck into today’s service wearing a big white wig and glasses, one tweet joked that she was “not kidding anyone.”
But the haircut turned out not to be an elaborate disguise – instead, the man depicted was legendary composer Sir Karl Jenkins, whose “haunting, very Welsh” work Tros y Garreg was played at the ceremony.
Others online joked about the misunderstanding, saying it was “Tilda Swinton deep in character” or “Just wait for the polyjuice (a transforming potion from Harry Potter) to wear off.”
Many agreed that the off-the-cuff remark was one of the best jokes of the day, when King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, crowed at Westminster Abbey.
One Twitter user speculated that the person pictured was in fact the deeply disguised Duchess of Sussex – but it’s actually composer Sir Karl Jenkins
Sir Karl Jenkins, 79, whose ‘haunting, very Welsh’ work Tros y Garreg was played at the ceremony today (pictured in 2015 receiving his knighthood)
Composer Sir Karl Jenkins, 79, recently told BBC news that he remembered seeing the last coronation in Swansea in 1953 as an eight-year-old.
Today his music was part of Charles III’s coronation ceremony, to show the King’s love and appreciation for the culture and music of Wales.
‘I am very honored. It clearly encapsulates Welsh culture – the harp – and he (the king) has always supported Welsh music,” said Sir Karl.
“I don’t know if he chose it, but he was happy to be there. I know he likes it, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked me.’
The piece was first composed for the then Prince of Wales two decades ago when he resumed the role of royal harpist. Catrin Finch, the first person to win the revived role, played the part.
‘It’s a slow movement, based on an old Welsh folk song,’ said Sir Karl. ‘It’s terrifying, it’s very Welsh and the story is reminiscent of a soldier returning home and crossing the stile.
Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex join the Prince and Princess of Wales to mourn the loss of the late Queen Elizabeth II
Social media users relished the suggestion that the Duchess of Sussex would disguise herself to sneak into the coronation. One said the image reminded him of Tony Clifton, the rude alter ego of American comedian Andy Kaufam, who was memorably played by Jim Carrey (pictured)
“It starts very quietly, with the strings playing the melody of the national anthem, then the harpist does this technique called bisbigliando, which means to whisper in Italian,” he added.
Sir Karl is perhaps best known for composing the song Adeimus, which was officially released in 1995 and featured in Delta Air Lines in-flight advertisements and as the opening music for the biblical series Testament: The Bible In Animation.
He studied music at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music, where he is a Fellow and Associate. He became the lead songwriter for the jazz rock bank Soft Machine in 1974, having joined the band two years earlier.
He collaborated with Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber on Jesus Christ Superstar and with Elton John on Tumbleweed Connection, released in 1970.
In 2008, Jenkins’ The Armed Nab was number 1 on Classic FM’s ‘Top 10 Living Composers’.
He received an OBE in the 2005 New Year Honors and a CBE in 2010, before being knighted in 2015.