Frank Skinner has revealed he was stunned to receive a ‘beautiful’ handwritten letter this week from Sophie Wessex apologising for their backstage bust-up at the Royal Variety Performance.
The Countess and her husband, Prince Edward, had criticised Skinner’s singing after he and comedian David Baddiel performed Three Lions on stage at the Royal Albert Hall.
Skinner, 66, detailed the fall out on his radio show, telling how Sophie had told him ‘don’t give up the day job’ and suggested he was not used to performing in front of such a big crowd.
The comedian explained that he had battled through illness to appear at the event and was shocked that the royal couple had both been so critical.
Much to his surprise, Skinner this week received a ‘lovely and classy’
personal letter on headed paper from Sophie’s official residence near Windsor, Berks.
Speaking on his Absolute Radio show, he said: “I got a very lovely note this week - unexpected - from someone I’ve talked about on the radio show.
“And I’m not going to tell you exactly what was in it, but it was lovely.
“And you know when the word classy springs to mind... I was quite moved by it.
“It came from Bagshot Park - it is the home of the Countess of Wessex, who I had a slight incident with at the Royal Variety.
“And she wrote to me in order to clarify what had gone on.
“It was the most beautiful thing - handwritten and lovely. I was very pleased.
“It was a lovely thing, I love her now.”
Asked by a co-host if she had signed it ‘Soph’, Skinner replied ‘maybe’.
“Anyway, I was completely shocked by it but I wrote back just to say how.... I think I might have used the word gracious,” he added.
“And what did I write back on? I got a present last year which is headed notepaper which says ‘From the desk of Frank Skinner MBE’.
“And I’d thought I’ll never be able to use this, so I thought ‘you know what?’ I thought she’d think nothing of it.
“I did say in my reply that I was excited and that she was the first person I got to use my headed notepaper on. And what a start.
“It’s weird, you say things on this show and think no one will ever hear it. And it turns out they’re listening at Bagshot Park.”
