A-List Stars who declined to perform at King Charles III’s coronation concert

Angelique Agarap

May 9, 2023

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  Photo: Adele/Elton John/Harry Styles

  King Charles III’s coronation was a stunning event that proved to be a great success, featuring captivating performances by Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, among other exceptionally talented artists. However, despite the impressive roster, a few A-list stars declined to take part, resulting in some empty seats in the audience.

   

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  Take a glimpse at the celebrities who turned down the opportunity to perform during King Charles III’s coronation weekend:

  1. Adele

  Despite previously being recognized as a member of the Order of the British Empire in Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honors List, it is uncertain why the ‘Easy On Me’ singer dismissed the invitation. This follows her alleged rejection of an offer to perform at the queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year, which was attributed to scheduling conflicts.

  2. Harry Styles

  The ‘Watermelon Sugar’ hitmaker is also among the British pop artists who brushed the invitation aside to perform at the coronation. However, Styles’ team refused to provide a reason when asked for comment.

  Moreover, it is alleged that Styles also passed up the opportunity to perform at the queen’s Platinum Jubilee last year. The exact reason behind his decision remains unclear, and fans can only speculate as to why he opted out of both events.

  3. Kylie Minogue

  While she previously performed at Queen Elizabeth’s birthday in 2018, the ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ singer opted out of the coronation proceedings. According to a British tabloid, Minogue values her honorary British status and admiration for the royal family but is also a proud Australian citizen who has taken note of discussions regarding Australia becoming a republic, hence opting out of the coronation proceedings.

  4. Robbie Williams

  Per Rolling Stone, the renowned ‘Angels’ hitmaker, who is known to be a close friend and supporter of the royal family, has rejected the opportunity to perform at the coronation. After the passing of Queen Elizabeth last year, he took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute, expressing his deep sorrow at her loss and admiration for her strong and dignified leadership.

  Amid his close ties with the royal family, William’s team did not provide any comment on his decision to refuse the invitation to perform at the coronation.

  5. Sir Elton John

  In spite of his long-standing relationship with members of the Royal Family, including his notable performance at the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997, Elton John will not be able to perform at King Charles III’s Coronation concert. His team confirmed receiving the invitation but cited a scheduling conflict. Elton John will be performing in Germany the Friday before the Windsor concert and again the following night in Hamburg, making it logistically impossible to attend the UK event.

  6. The Spice Girls

  Unfortunately, the Spice Girls did not make an appearance at King Charles III’s coronation concert in Windsor. Despite the King’s admiration for the iconic girl group and his previous statement that meeting them was the second greatest moment in his life, they were unable to perform due to logistical issues.

  According to a source cited by The Sun, the group was unable to get together to rehearse, which ultimately prevented them from performing at the highly anticipated event.

  Be that as it may, Perry and Richie’s performances at King Charles III’s coronation concert were nothing short of spectacular. They had previously worked with King Charles. In fact, Perry was appointed as an ambassador of The British Asian Trust, a charity co-founded by the then-Prince Charles in 2020, while Richie became the first global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in 2019. Apart from the American Idol judges, additional performances were delivered by opera singers Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings, classical-soul artist Alexis Ffrench, and ’90s boy band Take That.

   

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