Daphne Boden, harpist and teacher who entertained the Royal family

Daphne Boden, who has died aged83, was an influential harpist and harp teacher known for her performances for the Royal family, her musical collaborations with the actress Virginia McKenna of Born Free fame and her legion of former pupils; while stern and uncompromising in her expectations, she was unfailingly supportive of her students.

Although Daphne Boden’s performing career was not large, her recitals were characterised by clean and fresh playing. “She proved triumphantly capable of sustaining interest throughout a series of by no means weighty pieces, such was her range of colour and dynamics and remarkable precision of articulation,” wrote a Daily Telegraph critic of her 1969 Purcell Room recital.

Teaching remained her forte and she demanded at least an hour’s practice a day from her pupils, even those as young as five. Each lesson brought new exercises and studies, while no piece of music was finished until it could be played from memory. “Do you go to the theatre and expect the actors to be reading?” she declared.

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Daphne Boden was born in Surrey on January 28 1942, the only child of Leonard Boden, who painted no fewer than 10 portraits of Queen ElizabethII, and his wife Margaret, née Tulloch, also an artist, both of whom she cared for in their old age. As a child she travelled widely with her parents as they painted Pope Pius XII, the Aga Khan and European royals.

She was a regular at the Royal Opera House, always sitting in the front row, mischievously intimidating the harpists in the orchestra pit below

Her musical training began at the age of four, when she was given a piano by her grandmother. At 14 she declared that she wanted to learn the harp, having spotted a magnificent Erard Gothic harp at the home of Tito Gobbi while her father was painting the baritone’s portrait. On his death in 1984 Gobbi bequeathed the instrument to her.

She was educated at St Paul’s Girls School and at a finishing school in Switzerland before continuing her harp studies at the Royal College of Music with Marie Goossens. She also worked with Marisa Robles and with Mireille Flour at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where she was the first British harpist to be awarded the Premier Prix.

Back in Britain she was summoned by the private secretary to Queen Elizabeth. The monarch had heard of her success and invited her to perform privately. This led to further royal performances, often while her parents painted.

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Meanwhile, she taught at the Royal College of Music Junior Department, a role she held for 55 years, and visited schools around the country. Between January and Easter 1974 she gave more than 100 recitals to thousands of schoolchildren.

She taught at the Royal College of Music for 55 years, and visited schools around the country. - Clifford Ling/ANL/Shutterstock

Daphne Boden was a board member of the World Harp Congress. Closer to home she was a great supporter of the UK Harp Association, both as a committee member and as a familiar face at parties and events. She was a regular at the Royal Opera House, always sitting in the front row, mischievously intimidating the harpists in the orchestra pit below. Away from music she had a passion for wildlife, especially elephants, and often visited Kenya to work with Virginia McKenna, who helped with her fear of public speaking.

After the harp, Daphne Boden’s second love was horses. For many years she could be spotted galloping through the early morning mist of Richmond Park on a silver-grey called Shadow.

Daphne Boden met Gordon Turner, a faith healer and author, after hearing him on the radio when Shadow tore an Achilles tendon. She contacted him through the BBC and within a few days Shadow was walking almost normally.

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They were married in 1971, though Gordon Turner died suddenly a couple of years later. Today his name is attached to a harp competition at the RCM.

Daphne Boden, born January 28 1942, died June 28 2025

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