Francesca Hayward

Francesca Hayward was born in July 1992 in Nairobi, Kenya, and moved to Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex, at the age of two to live with her grandparents. Her interest in ballet began at age three after watching a video of “The Nutcracker.” She pursued formal training at Le Serve School of Ballet and Theatre Dance in Worthing before entering the Royal Ballet School at age 11 in 2003, progressing to the Royal Ballet Upper School in 2008. Her talent was recognized during her training, leading to her joining the Royal Ballet in 2010.

Hayward’s career at The Royal Ballet saw rapid progression, transitioning from the main company to First Artist in 2013, Soloist in 2014, and First Soloist in 2015. By 2016, she achieved the rank of Principal dancer. During her tenure, she has performed major roles including Clara in “The Nutcracker,” Manon in “Manon,” Alice in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet,” Aurora in “Sleeping Beauty,” and the title role in “Giselle.” Her performances have garnered critical acclaim, and she was featured in the BBC documentary “Dancing the Nutcracker: Inside the Royal Ballet” in 2016.

In 2018, Hayward took a sabbatical from the Royal Ballet to join the cast of the film “Cats,” where she played Victoria the White Cat and performed the song “Beautiful Ghosts.” She appeared in the documentary film “Audrey” in 2020, portraying Audrey Hepburn during her Hollywood years through dance. Hayward continues to perform with The Royal Ballet, and in 2023, she performed at the Coronation Concert to mark the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.