King Charles III's coronation: Katy Perry, Lionel Richie to perform
On May 6, King Charles III will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in one of the biggest, much-awaited events of this year. In the latest update, the ceremony's concert performers have been announced. Global music icons like Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli, and Lionel Richie will dominate the celebration with their powerful performances. Mark your calendars as the concert is scheduled for May 7 (Sunday).
Why does this story matter?
The coronation ceremony of King Charles III was officially announced by Buckingham Palace in October 2022. It is pertinent to note that King's wife Camilla, 75, will also be crowned Queen Consort during the coronation ceremony on May 6. To recall, the 74-year-old Charles took over as the UK's monarch on September 8, 2022, after the demise of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Meet global icons set to perform at coronation
The BBC—which will produce and broadcast the concert—announced the lineup of performers on Friday. The performers include American singer-songwriter Richie, pop music icon Perry, British band Take That, and singer-songwriter Freya Ridings. Besides, opera stars Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel will take the center stage for a duet together, and classical-soul musician and composer Alexis Ffrench will also be present at the celebration.
Richie was announced 1st global ambassador for The Prince's Trust
The aforementioned artists are expected to perform in front of a large gathering of 20,000 people as well as in front of the newly-crowed King and the Queen Consort. Meanwhile, on Friday, Richie said, "To share the stage with the other performers at The Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event." Earlier, the singer-songwriter was named the first global ambassador for The Prince's Trust, too.
Harry Styles, Adele, Ed Sheeran turned down invitations to perform
Earlier, The Sun reported that artists like Adele, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, and Spice Girls were approached to perform, but due to their busy schedules, the artists turned down the invitations. Music legend Elton John—who was at the top of the King's list—also turned down the invitation due to his European tour, which sees him performing in Germany just before the coronation concert.
Anointing of King Charles will not be broadcast on television
There are a lot of burning questions ahead of the coronation date. One thing to mention is that the most sacred part of the ceremony will not be televised, similar to the late Queen's coronation in 1953, as per The Telegraph. It came to light after reports rumored that Charles would become the first British monarch to be publicly anointed.
