But I don't have a very good track record with royalty. My dress fell off in front of Prince Charles at the Prince's Trust, so I'm just living up to my reputation.

What I've tended to do is to use my own experiences to get into someone else's mind, like in Wuthering Heights.

Whatever is going on in your life when you're writing has to somehow seep into your work.

Every old sock meets an old shoe

My father was always playing the piano. He played all kinds of music - Gershwin, all kinds of stuff. He was really a hugely encouraging force to me when I was little.

I suppose my biggest concern would be if the planet is going to be in good enough shape for the next generation to have the privileges that we've had.

I was so nervous every night that I had to really focus and keep myself in that moment so that I would not forget the words. I was really present for every song.