What soprano Amy Manford was too embarrassed to tell Prince William

Amy Manford is a singer, best known for playing Christine in Phantom of the Opera. The 29-year-old opens up about performing for the royals, her father’s Crocodile Dundee connection, and starting her own production company.

My paternal grandpa, Tony, lived down the road from us in Perth, where I was born and grew up. He was quite a character, with giant, expressive eyebrows and an amazing head of hair which he passed on to my dad, Michael.

Amy Manford: “My partner comes from a loving Italian family who were very impressed when they found out I’d sung with Andrea Bocelli.”Credit: Stef King

Grandpa would give me and my sister Chloe “bucking bronco” rides when we were about seven – he’d get down on all fours and try to knock us off his back. Whoever stayed on the longest got a tiny sip of beer. He was a successful businessman who represented Australia in sailing at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics, where he was captain of the team. Tony died from Parkinson’s in 2020.

My maternal grandpa, Carter, was American. We’d spend Christmas with my US grandparents every year – they’d come to us, or we’d visit. Their house had peacocks walking in the garden, and a piano that played itself – it was always a treasure trove to explore. Carter was also an amazing chef. He died unexpectedly in 2020.

My dad met my mum, Sally, at the Melbourne Cup in 1990, when she was a guest judge of Fashions on the Field at Flemington. She’d modelled in Milan and Melbourne – and on Sale of the Century, too. She fell in love with my dad and they married in America and relocated to Perth.

My dad ran a stockbroking company for 30 years and competed in sailing championships on the side. When he was younger, he invested in the making of Crocodile Dundee and with the success of that he bought his first sailing boat. He named it The Croc and his second boat is called Croc II. We always tease him about it.

Dad has been a huge mentor for me in starting my own production company, MM Creative Productions, in 2020 with my friend Genevieve McCarthy. We named it after our dads, who are both called Michael. They really encouraged us to take ourselves seriously and reach for the unattainable. We are now producing Disney 100: The Concert in Australia.

I credit a talented pianist and music teacher, Tim Chapman, with encouraging me to become a singer. In year 10 I used to play the violin and thought I’d do so for my year 12 music exam. He told me maybe I should sing.

I performed for Prince William in 2015 and got to shake his hand. I wanted to tell him that my dad had taught him how to windsurf when he came to Perth in his 20s, but I was too embarrassed. I met him a second time when I performed for Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. I again tried to muster the courage to say it, and again I backed out.

My good friend Paul Tabone is a fellow Australian who did Phantom of the Opera with me in London for two years. We do the production in Australia together, too [he plays Ubaldo Piangi]. I can’t look at him on stage because we just make each other laugh too much!

I have had two long-term boyfriends. I met my partner, Matteo Valentini, in Perth and we’ve been together for eight years. We dated for five months before I moved to London to do my master’s, then did long-distance for two years. Now we’re together in Australia. He comes from a loving Italian family who were very impressed when they found out I’d sung with Andrea Bocelli.

Andrea is such an inspiration – he is constantly improving his craft. It was surreal to be on stage with him last year. When we sang our final duet in Melbourne, Canto della Terra, he picked me up in my giant ball gown and I’m like, “Is this even happening?”

One day, I’d love to get married and have kids, but I have so many things to do before that.

Disney 100: The Concert is at Sydney Opera House, February 23-25.

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