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So I Married A... KnightIn our second entry to our So I Married A... series Lady Jeanne Galway tells us what it's like being married to knighted flutist who’s sold over 30 million records.
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It wasn’t exactly a romantic courtship from the very beginning, remembers Lady Jeanne Galway—but almost from the beginning. After meeting her husband-to-be, famous flutist Sir James Galway when he visited her flute master class, it was friendship first for this couple. A few meals and a shared love of music bonded the two—but it wasn’t until two years later that the romantic torch was ignited. Then it was straight out of a fairytale. "He courted me for two years. He used to come to my New York apartment—and he used to bring me chocolates from this very exclusive place in Switzerland," recalls Lady Jeanne. "And later he would bring my roommate and I caviar and champagne."
Though he wasn’t yet knighted at the time, Sir James was ever the gentleman. "The biggest attraction, to this day, is that he’s such a positive person," says Lady Jeanne. Married in 1984, Lady Jeanne relocated to Switzerland to be with Sir James.
A flutist in her own right, she gave up her career to help raise Sir James’ small children and to help her husband in his career. "I’d basically stopped playing because of the lifestyle that this whole network around James Galway entailed—it’s a huge corporation really, being an international concert soloist. It’s not just going and playing concerts—it’s every other thing," she says. "It’s quite a huge production really that I had walked into—that I knew nothing about—but today know everything about."
In 1992, the pair reached a critical point. Moving on from his manager at the time, Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway started to take more control of his career. At the same time, Lady Jeanne began to play the flute again—at first assisting in Sir James’ master classes—then going on stage with her own group, the Zephyr Trio. Then, little by little, she began to join her husband on stage as well. Though worried about possible disapproval from critics and Sir James’ fans, it never materialized. "People seemed to enjoy that we play together—and we do, and we’ve recorded together, and it’s always just worked," says Lady Jeanne.
Of course, being married to a famous flutist who’s sold over 30 million records and touring with him all over the U.S., Europe and Asia is exciting. But after Sir James Galway was knighted in 2001 for his services to music, the extraordinary experiences mounted. "Recently we were invited for tea at Buckingham Palace. We were escorted to the table…and they said, ‘Oh, Sir James, did someone tell you? You’re going to be presented to the Queen today,’" says Lady Jeanne. "There’s nothing like hearing words like that—for me—I get so proud." A never-to-be-forgotten moment, Lady Jeanne remembers every detail—especially smiling at the recollection of hearing Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth call her husband Jimmy.
Meeting the Queen hasn’t been the only highlight of being married to a knight. She’s met Dame Judi Dench and had a private audience with the Empress of Japan. She’s accompanied Sir James to the White House and played a private concert at Windsor Castle for the Earl of Wessex. This Long Island, New York native still gets a thrill when she hears a British accent, like Dame Judi’s for instance, saying: Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway. "It just kind of tickles you up the back—just the way they say it—it’s very special," she says.
Still, even with all the travel and dignitaries, and devoting time to teaching and encouraging young aspiring flutists, it’s the intimate friendship with her husband that is the highlight of her life as the wife of a Knight. "We still do things like cooking together, taking walks together, playing backgammon together," says Lady Jeanne. "It’s a relationship that works. It’s been a lot of hard work but it’s based on true friendship and, for me, a real admiration for who my husband is."
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Though he wasn’t yet knighted at the time, Sir James was ever the gentleman. "The biggest attraction, to this day, is that he’s such a positive person," says Lady Jeanne. Married in 1984, Lady Jeanne relocated to Switzerland to be with Sir James.
A flutist in her own right, she gave up her career to help raise Sir James’ small children and to help her husband in his career. "I’d basically stopped playing because of the lifestyle that this whole network around James Galway entailed—it’s a huge corporation really, being an international concert soloist. It’s not just going and playing concerts—it’s every other thing," she says. "It’s quite a huge production really that I had walked into—that I knew nothing about—but today know everything about."
In 1992, the pair reached a critical point. Moving on from his manager at the time, Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway started to take more control of his career. At the same time, Lady Jeanne began to play the flute again—at first assisting in Sir James’ master classes—then going on stage with her own group, the Zephyr Trio. Then, little by little, she began to join her husband on stage as well. Though worried about possible disapproval from critics and Sir James’ fans, it never materialized. "People seemed to enjoy that we play together—and we do, and we’ve recorded together, and it’s always just worked," says Lady Jeanne.
Of course, being married to a famous flutist who’s sold over 30 million records and touring with him all over the U.S., Europe and Asia is exciting. But after Sir James Galway was knighted in 2001 for his services to music, the extraordinary experiences mounted. "Recently we were invited for tea at Buckingham Palace. We were escorted to the table…and they said, ‘Oh, Sir James, did someone tell you? You’re going to be presented to the Queen today,’" says Lady Jeanne. "There’s nothing like hearing words like that—for me—I get so proud." A never-to-be-forgotten moment, Lady Jeanne remembers every detail—especially smiling at the recollection of hearing Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth call her husband Jimmy.
Meeting the Queen hasn’t been the only highlight of being married to a knight. She’s met Dame Judi Dench and had a private audience with the Empress of Japan. She’s accompanied Sir James to the White House and played a private concert at Windsor Castle for the Earl of Wessex. This Long Island, New York native still gets a thrill when she hears a British accent, like Dame Judi’s for instance, saying: Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway. "It just kind of tickles you up the back—just the way they say it—it’s very special," she says.
Still, even with all the travel and dignitaries, and devoting time to teaching and encouraging young aspiring flutists, it’s the intimate friendship with her husband that is the highlight of her life as the wife of a Knight. "We still do things like cooking together, taking walks together, playing backgammon together," says Lady Jeanne. "It’s a relationship that works. It’s been a lot of hard work but it’s based on true friendship and, for me, a real admiration for who my husband is."
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So I Married A… Stuntwoman
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