Barbra Streisand says Prince Charles once sent her flowers from his own garden before he met Diana

‘I could have wound up being the first Jewish princess!’ singer jokes

Barbra Streisand has discussed her friendship with Prince Charles, revealing he once sent her freshly cut flowers from his garden.

The pair met when she was recording at Warner Bros in 1974, when he was a 26-year-old serving in the Royal Navy and three years before he met the future Princess Diana.

Revealing that the young prince had asked to meet her – a move she called “so sweet” – the “Woman in Love” singer told ITV’s Lorraine: “I offered him a sip of tea and I thought, ‘They didn’t have to test me for poison or something? No.’”

Discussing how they “became friends”, the star also said she “loved spending some time at Highgrove [his family residence] for a weekend fundraiser” and had walked through his gardens.

The royal later sent Streisand freshly cut flowers to a London hotel she was staying in.

She recalled: “I said, ‘Who sent me that?’ and she [Barbra’s assistant] said, ‘A fan called Charles.’ And I said, ‘Really? Let me see the note’ – and there was his seal. And they weren’t from a florist because they were from his gardens and it’s a different look.”

Streisand added: “I had a very funny line on stage when he came to see [my] show [in Hyde Park in 2019]. I said, ‘You know, if I played my cards right, I could have wound up being the first Jewish princess!’”

Last month, Prince Charles said he was a “great admirer” of Streisand’s as he chose her hit “Don’t Rain on My Parade” as one of his favourite songs. He also recalled “special memories” of meeting the singer and described her as “effervescent”.

Streisand wasn’t just in with the royals, she made close friends in politics, too. Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this week, she revealed that the former first lady, Jackie Kennedy, wanted to edit her memoir.

Streisand’s latest album, Release Me 2, is out now. Read The Independent’s review here.