ONCE the Royal Harpist to the Prince of Wales and star performer at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding, Claire Jones's world slipped through her fingers two years ago when she was struck down by ME.

Homebound and too exhausted to such much as gently pluck the strings, she faced a dim future away from music and everything she had worked tirelessly to achieve.

"I was worried I was never get back to playing again - I thought, 'Is this it?'," says the Welsh musician.

"I was bedbound for some time. I couldn't even lift a fork to feed myself. There is a big stigma around chronic fatigue and ME. People used to think it was all the mind, that people were lazy but there was something physically wrong with me."

Growing up in rural Pembrokeshire, Claire started learning the violin at the age of seven before falling in love with the harp three years later. She initially enrolled at the Royal College of Music as a violinist but, the constant requests to play the harp prompted her to change tack and switch instruments.

An unexpected boon, her decision came just a few month before Clarence House's move to reinstate the role of Royal Harpist. At just 21 years old, in her fourth year, she was invited for a closed quarters audition with Prince Charles himself and swiftly appointed to the esteemed role.

"He came up and stood a foot away from the harp," recalls the 30-year-old with a laugh. "I really wanted it and I gave it my best. I felt quite relaxed when I played for him.

"It was an amazing stepping stone. I performed for royalty and him in particular two or three times a month, sometimes for private functions and I did one-on-one performances for her majesty the Queen. It was hectic and performing for the Queen was pretty nerve-wracking. All I thought was, 'I will never get that again in my life'. You pinch yourself."

At the apogee of her career she released chart-topping classical albums, toured the world and performed to 75,000 rugby fans at the Millennium Stadium.

The ME 'crash' which upended her life occurred in May 2013. Confined to her room, she consoled herself by listening to the melodies she has grown unable to play herself.

"I had had headaches and pain in my muscles before but I just put it down to my playing - it's quite demanding on your body," she says. "But in 2013 it came to a head. I couldn't control the pain. My husband took me to A&E and I had a seizure there. The consultant diagnosed me with ME. It was a big shock. But I'm lucky I found the right people to help me."

An anchor to her glorious past, the pieces became the soundtrack to her painful and protracted recovery. Now on a much stronger footing, Claire has returned to the stage with a show based on her latest album Journey, which features a selection of the numbers that buoyed her during her convalescence and allowed her to heal. These include Venus from Holst’s Planets and a dramatic arrangement of Scarborough Fair.

"I wanted to record my journey from illness to wellness," she adds pensively. "It's the music I was listening to to help soothe or relax me, help me unwind. All this, ME, everything, actually changed my approach. With the music, I found a spot inside my soul somewhere, it opened up a new channel for me. It's quite extraordinary how music can speak to you."

Claire Jones will perform at the Arts Centre on January 16. To book visit swindontheatres.co.uk or call 01793 524481.