The family’s Catholicism has, Kadiatu says, been at the heart of its most noticeable feature: the remarkable musical talent which runs through the Kanneh-Masons. We converted when we had four children, and we were received into the Church in Nottingham.” Today they have seven kids: Isata, 24 Braimah, 22 Sheku, 21 Konya, 20 Jeneba, 18 Aminata, 14 and Mariatu, 11. “We were attracted to Catholicism because we thought it was a great place to bring up a family. Things changed after she married her now-husband Stuart. As for religion, “In Sierra Leone, no one cares what religion you are, it’s all very fluid”. She was born in Sierra Leone, where her grandfather had 45 children with 21 wives – yes, you read that correctly. Perhaps that’s because her own extended family is so large. Inclusivity is an important message throughout Kadiatu’s book. It was a message of hope”, she says, “there was an idea that things were going to get better, that the world was becoming more inclusive.” “The power of that wedding was having something right at the centre of the British monarchy with this amazing Kingdom Choir, a black choir, a black preacher, a black musician centre stage. It was an incredible moment,” Kadiatu tells the Catholic Herald. “As a mother, I was so proud of him and I thought it was a wonderful thing to do. Sheku was already a rising star – in 2016 he had become the first ever black winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Award, the first of several major awards – but the wedding was the moment he became known around the world. A Catholic mother of seven brilliant young musicians, Kadiatu tells a touching story, not just about music but about the life of a large family. This moment is described in Kadiatu’s new memoir, House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons, which has been described by Lady Antonia Fraser as “an amazing, compelling, moving and unforgettable story”. After he got the call, he teased his mother Kadiatu by telling her that he had responded “No thanks.” The call from Kensington Palace was for the 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and it led to the moment on when he would play at Harry and Meghan’s wedding.

Lady antonia fraser meghan markle