Westenra top with British armed forces

Hayley Westenra is a keen supporter of the armed forces. Photo / Simon Baker

New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra is displacing glamorous blonde Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins as the sweetheart of the British armed forces.

Westenra, 22, will top the bill at the Royal British Legion's annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on November 7 - a concert at which Jenkins has performed for the past five years.

The Daily Mail reported Jenkins had believed as recently as two months ago that she would be appearing as usual in front of the Queen and a television audience of millions at the British Legion concert.

Westenra, who has been a supporter of charities since she shot to fame as a singer in New Zealand six years ago, has also been recruited by the British Legion to be the face of this year's Poppy Appeal there.

Last year, the singer travelled to Basra, Iraq, to perform for British troops, and has expressed interest in the work of the British Legion, saying she has a family tradition of wartime service.

A great-uncle, Squadron Leader Jerry Westenra, was a World War II Royal Air Force ace, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar in dogfights with the Luftwaffe and the Italian Air Force over Greece, North Africa and France.

She told the Daily Mail: "Jerry is someone to be incredibly proud of.

"But in October 2007, I took part in the 90th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Passchendaele and discovered one of my great-great-uncles had been killed on the frontline.

"I found the name of Private Frederick Alan Westenra, of Canterbury, New Zealand, on one of the plaques at the Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Memorial in Ypres.

"From that point onwards, I became keen to support the armed forces wherever and whenever possible.

"To appear at this year's Festival of Remembrance is such a great honour."

A spokesman for Jenkins said of the festival: "She's done it for the past five years, more than any other person. Now she wants to let other people perform."

- NZPA