Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Andrea Bocelli have agreed to perform at King Charles III’s upcoming coronation concert — despite a succession of artists refusing to do so.
On Friday, the BBC announced the lineup for the event taking place on Sunday, May 7 — one day after Charles, 47, and Queen Camilla are crowned the UK’s new sovereigns following Queen Elizabeth II’s September 2022 death.
Perry, 38, Richie, 73, and Bocelli, 64, are among the brightest stars on the roster, which also includes British pop group Take That, as well as Sir Bryn Terfel, Freya Ridings and Alexis Ffrench.
“The concert will celebrate a new chapter in the nation’s history, with themes of love, respect and optimism, celebrating the four nations, their communities and the Commonwealth,” the BBC said of the coronation celebration in a statement.
“American Idol” judges Perry and Richie have known Charles for years, having served as ambassadors for his charities.
The “Roar” songstress has been an ambassador of the British Asian Trust since 2020. The nonprofit was co-founded by Charles to tackle poverty in South Asia.
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“I am excited to be performing at the Coronation Concert, and helping to shine a further light on the British Asian Trust’s Children’s Protection Fund, whose work includes on-ground initiatives to fundraising, with the aim to find solutions to child trafficking,” Perry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Richie was appointed as the first global ambassador and first chairman of the Global Ambassador Group for the Prince’s Trust in 2019. Charles founded the organization in 1976 to benefit disadvantaged youth.
“To share the stage with the other performers at The Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honor and a celebration,” the “All Night Long” crooner said in a statement of his own.
While Richie, Perry and Bocelli are sure to put on a great show, many musicians weren’t interested in being a part of the program.
Adele, Elton John, Robbie Williams and the Spice Girls are among the acts who turned down invitations to put on a show for the newly crowned king, Rolling Stone reported last month.
Experts have surmised that artists are fearful of being associated with the scandal-scarred monarchy.
“The royal family has faced a number of PR disasters in recent times, and anyone performing at the show would have to consider whether there would be a backlash from appearing amongst their fans,” Simon Jones, a publicist for Little Mix, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, told the outlet.
Despite the avalanche of declines from potential performers, a bevy of notable names are expected to attend the event — including Charles’ youngest son, Prince Harry.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6,” a palace spokesperson told Pvnew earlier this week.
However, Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle — who has a fraught relationship with the royals — will skip out so she can stay home in California with the couple’s two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, the former of whom will turn 4 that same day.
The BBC is set to stream the Coronation Concert on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
