The Military Wives Choirs have released a moving new song to mark the King’s upcoming 76th birthday.
Charles has been honored with a lullaby called November Sunday, which reimagines the “chilly, misty London night” he was born into at Buckingham Palace in 1948, and the hopes and joys of a recovering post-war Britain.
It is also a tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who was herself a ‘military wife’ and served in the armed forces.
The Military Wives Choir perform the new song in honor of the king’s birthday in their music video (Dennis Madden/PA)
The King has had a personally challenging year early in his reign after both he and his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, were diagnosed with cancer.
Caroline Paxton, Chair of Trustees at the Military Wives Choirs, said: “November Sunday is our own heartfelt gift to His Majesty and was inspired by our deep appreciation and admiration for his service to this nation.”
She added: “We hope he will enjoy listening to the song as much as we enjoy performing it.”
Charles as the Prince of Wales meeting members of the Military Wives choir at a Business in the Community event in 2014 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Ms Paxton said top Military Wives Choirs wanted their first recording since 2020 to celebrate the Armed Forces’ bond with the Royal Family.
The piece is in the form of a lullaby and depicts the baby prince’s first cry, the first sleep and how the good news spread through the city.
“The song, with lyrics and music by John McLaren, is set at the moment of the future king’s birth and reflects the joy the news brought to a country still recovering from war,” Paxton added.
“It is also a tribute to his mother, the beloved late Queen Elizabeth II, who, like many members of our network, served in the armed forces and was also a military spouse.
Princess Elizabeth holds her one-month-old son, Prince Charles, after his naming ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 1948 (PA)
“It is our intention that the song will become part of the core repertoire of our network of 70 choirs across the UK and beyond, and will be performed regularly around this time of year.”
Around 100 singers, including service staff, wives, partners and veterans from 41 Military Wives Choirs in the UK and beyond, came together to record the song, which was released on November 1.
It includes the original BBC Radio announcement confirming the arrival of the young future king, with newsreader John Snagge declaring: “It has just been announced from Buckingham Palace that Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth… has safely given birth to a prince at 9.14pm.”
The Royal Doctors’ Bulletin posted outside Buckingham Palace to announce Charles’ birth (PA)
The late queen was 22 when she welcomed her first child Prince Charles on November 14, 1948, just over three years before she took the throne.
She was the wife of Prince Philip, late Duke of Edinburgh, who had a distinguished career in the Royal Navy, but she also served in the Armed Forces when she was 19 and did National Service in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945. few months of the Second World War.
The song is accompanied by the Band of the Household Cavalry – the largest regular military band in the country – with a brass and woodwind brass band.
Producer Sean Hargreaves said the tune, with its acoustic guitars and ebb and flow rhythm, had a similar feel to Taylor Swift, while the ‘cinematic’ orchestration was typical of bands such as Radiohead.
The Household Cavalry band plays the song (Dennis Madden/PA)
Mr Hargreaves said: “When creating the song we aimed for an emotional singer-songwriter feel, similar in approach to Taylor Swift’s Folklore, but expanded to include a choir of a hundred voices rather than a solo artist.
“To achieve this we had acoustic guitars in the foreground and arranged the rhythm section in ebb and flow, giving the arrangement a lot of space. This more modern feel beautifully complements John McLaren’s nostalgic lyrics.
“What sets this song apart is the way we incorporated The Band of the Household Cavalry into it. Instead of the way military bands are traditionally heard, we showcased them in a more cinematic style – similar to how a band like Radiohead or a film score might use orchestration – to add depth and color.”
A nostalgic music video promoting the song shows a family gathering at home over dinner, listening to the crackling wireless and celebrating the news of the royal birth.
The Military Wives Choirs charity was launched after the BBC2 series with choral maestro Gareth Malone and has grown into a network of around 70 choirs worldwide.
Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, Gareth Malone and Sharon Horgan with the Combined Military Wives Choir at the 2020 premiere of the film Military Wives (Ian West/PA)
Charles previously met members of the choir at a gala dinner for Business In The Community in 2014.
Previous hits include 2011’s Christmas number one Wherever You Are, and their story was made into a film in 2020 starring Dame Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan.
The organization brings women in the military community together through song, with an emphasis on wellness and resilience.
The song can be purchased or streamed from November 1 and the video can be found on YouTube or at militarywomenschoirs.org.