School choir sings for Serbian royalty
Youngsters invited after their fundraising exploits
SCHOOL choir singers took the trip of a lifetime to perform for royal family members in Serbia.
Youngsters from Northwood Preparatory School were personally invited by their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine, because of funds pupils had raised for two rural schools in Serbia, in support of the Foundation of HRH Crown Princess Katherine.
Dr Trevor Lee, head teacher at the school which sits on the border of Northwood and Rickmansworth, in Sandy Lodge Road, said the visit was hugely important for his pupils.
“It was the most remarkable experience,” Mr Lee said. “It was one of the most significant school trips I have ever made in my 30 years as a teacher.”
The funds donated by the school helped to build and equip two village kindergartens in Toponica and Matejevec in southern Serbia, the first village kindergartens to be built in the country, today caring for more than 100 children.
“For a few years we had been raising money to support children in those rural areas,” Mr Lee said.
“The royal family visited the school a couple of years ago and asked if we would like to visit them at the palace in Belgrade.”
So on Friday, October 31, a group of 20 children from the ages of nine to 13 who belong to the Northwood Prep Senior Choir, set off for Belgrade.
They took a tour of the Royal Palace – the official residence of the Royal family – and the White Palace, where the boys performed for the family and invited guests.
Mr Lee said: “The performance was recorded and broadcast on Serbian television, I think the children were amazed by the whole experience.
“They have been talking non-stop about it since they got back. It was such a wonderful thing for their self-confidence and a real insight into the culture of the country.”