The Coronation of King Charles III. and Queen Camilla will be a major three-day event for the royal family and the UK – which is why it’s so surprising that several British celebrities have decided to turn down invitations to perform for it.
Buckingham Palace has now confirmed that singers Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will headline the grand coronation concert on May 7 – the day after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey – but it has taken a while for the list of musicians to solidify .
See in advance every star who refused to sing during King Charles’ coronation weekend.
Mr Elton John
John is a longtime friend of the royal family and is known to have been very close to Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II. (He even paid tribute to the monarch at a concert in Toronto, Canada, after her death on September 8, 2022.)
The “Rocket Man” singer also attended Prince William and Princess Kate’s wedding in 2011 and appeared at the post-wedding lunch of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan in 2018.
He’s also friends with King Charles and Queen Camilla, and had the royals as guests at his wedding to David Furnish in 2005. Even so, scheduling conflicts forced him to say no to singing at the coronation, his team confirmed to Rolling Stone.
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The Spice Girls
Remember when Mel B and Geri kissed King Charles (then Prince Charles) on the cheek at a Prince’s Trust dinner in 1997? That won’t happen at the coronation.
Despite initial rumors that the Spice Girls (with or without Victoria Beckham) would be reuniting for the King and Queen’s coronation concert, Rolling Stone reported that they, too, missed the opportunity.
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Adele
Adele – who was once made a member of the Order of the British Empire in Queen Elizabeth II’s annual Birthday Honors List – also decided not to perform at the coronation, according to Rolling Stone.
The reason is unclear, although she was reportedly absent from the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year due to scheduling issues.
Harry Styles
The “Watermelon Sugar” singer joins the list of British pop artists who turned down a chance to perform at the coronation, according to Rolling Stone. When the magazine asked its team why, they declined to comment.
Styles also reportedly decided not to perform at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last year.
Robbie Williams
The “Angels” singer is a friend and fan of the royal family. When Queen Elizabeth passed away last year, he paid her an emotional tribute on Instagram. “I am truly saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She has represented Britain around the world with poise and strength – my thoughts are with the Royal Family and all who loved them,” he wrote at the time.
His team didn’t comment on his refusal to perform at the coronation, according to Rolling Stone.
Who will perform?
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Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will headline the coronation concert. The show will also feature appearances from Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel, Take That, Freya Ridings and Alexis Ffrench.
Perry and Richie, who both serve as judges on American Idol, had previous relationships with King Charles. In 2020, Perry was appointed Ambassador to the British Asian Trust, a charity co-founded by then-Prince Charles. Meanwhile, Richie became the first global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in 2019.
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Rosa Sanchez is senior news editor at Harper’s Bazaar, working on entertainment, fashion and culture news. She was previously a news editor at ABC News and before that was senior editor for celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among others.
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