King Charles Reportedly Can't Secure Major Music Acts for Coronation
When Buckingham Palace announced the schedule for King Charles III's coronation, the royal family teased "global music icons" for the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle on May 7. It turns out that the final lineup might have trouble living up to that. The King is reportedly having difficulty securing A-list acts for the U.K.'s first coronation of a new monarch in 70 years.
Elton John, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Adele, the Spice Girls, and Robbie Williams have all declined to perform at the concert, sources told The Sun on Feb. 25. So far, the only acts to sign up are Lionel Richie, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, and Take That's Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald. Andrew Lloyd Webber is also writing an anthem for Charles' coronation.
"Organisers are working against the clock to pull together an exciting line-up but have hit a series of challenges," a source told The Sun. John's touring schedule makes it impossible since he is scheduled to be in Germany the day before the coronation concert. While Styles is wrapping up an Asian tour on March 25, his band is set to take a much-needed break before hitting the road in Europe again on May 13.
There was hope for a Spice Girls reunion, but Mel B, Mel C, Geri Horner, Emma Bunton, and Victoria Beckham all have full calendars. Even if they did have time, it's unlikely Beckham would participate. When they reunited for a short tour of the U.K. and Ireland in 2019, Beckham did not join.
Olly Murs, who scored a hit with "Dance With Me Tonight," is in talks to join the concert. "Olly has such stage presence and a huge fanbase, he'd be a great addition," a source told The Sun.
Sources also told The Daily Mail that Sheeran was not invited to the concert, but his team told organizers he will be too busy to play. Adele will also be unavailable since she will need to take a breather after her Las Vegas residency. "The King has suggested a number of people he would like to perform and Adele and Ed were on that list. He was very keen that they were part of the concert," a source told The Daily Mail. "There is a team set up to get the talent signed up but they were unavailable, which was a massive disappointment. They are titans of the showbiz industry and are quintessentially British but also known across the globe. It's such a shame."
Charles' coronation weekend will begin on Saturday, May 6 with the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey. The royal family also announced plans for a special Coronation Concert on Sunday, May 7 that will be produced and broadcast by the BBC. The concert "will bring global music icons and contemporary stars together in celebration of the historic occasion," Buckingham Palace said in January. This is the first coronation since King Charles' mother Queen Elizabeth's ceremony in 1953.