Katy Perry, Take That, Lionel Richie to perform at star-studded concert for King’s coronation

The American pop star will perform at Windsor Castle to celebrate the crowning of the King and Queen Consort. Lots of big names are on the list, including a huge potential reunion.

American pop singer Katy Perry will headline the Coronation Concert to celebrate the crowning of King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, next month.

Soul singer Lionel Richie and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will join the hitmaker at the Windsor Castle event, performing in front of 20,000 invited guests and members of the public on the East Lawn. The global broadcast audience is expected to be in the millions.

The glittering concert will take place on May 7, one day after the coronation, featuring a huge live band and orchestra, a special coronation choir, military drummers, and more.

Katy Perry will perform, but a particular California Girl will be absent. Picture: Getty Images

Perry is best known for her string of number-one albums and her wildly popular Superbowl show in 2015. Outside her musical achievements, however, she is an ambassador for the British Asian Trust, a charity the King founded in 2007 to tackle poverty in Southeast Asia.

Richie, meanwhile, is a Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe winner as well as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He served as the first global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, which Charles established in 1976 to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track.

“To share the stage with the other performers at the Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honour and a celebration,” he said.

Lionel Richie says it’s an “honour” to be invited to perform. Picture: Denise Truscello

English pop group Take That is also on the list and there are whispers that a reunion could be in the works. Three original members will perform under the band’s moniker: Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen. However, The BBC is speculating that former members Jason Orange and Robbie Williams - now a superstar in his own right - may also attend.

“This will be our first live show since the Odyssey Tour, four years ago in 2019, and what a stage to come back on,” the band members said in a statement.

“A huge live band and orchestra, a choir, military drummers, the backdrop of Windsor Castle and the celebration of a new King. We can’t wait.”

There is speculation Robbie Williams may join his Take That bandmates. Picture: Getty Images

News of the line-up follows reports King Charles III and the rest of the royal family are “quietly relieved” Meghan Markle won’t attend the coronation, alleviating fears she would overshadow the coronation and clash with Catherine, Princess of Wales during the event.

While the King is said to be “disappointed” he will not see Archie and Lilibet, his distress over potential tensions around the Duchess of Sussex have faded now that she’ll remain in the California as Prince Harry returns to London.

“Harry had no choice but to attend, for him to not go to attend a royal occasion of this magnitude would have been foolish since a lot of his career derives in talking about the royal family,” said royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.

“But the king is quietly relieved that Meghan is not coming – she won‘t completely have overshadowed the coronation, but she will have been huge, huge, focus on the day.

“It is well known that she and Kate (Princess of Wales) do not get on, and Kate will be particularly delighted that she won‘t have to face her sister in law on the day.

King Charles III is “quietly” relieved his daughter-in-law Meghan Markle is not coming to his coronation on May 6 (Picture: AFP

“The King feels Meghan has done too much damage to the royal family, she can’t be trusted, will what she says next be in her next interview with Oprah Winfrey – the first was hugely detrimental to the reputation in England of the royal family.

“Harry coming alone is the best compromise.”

While no reason was given for Meghan’s absence, Archie‘s fourth birthday coincides with his grandfather’s coronation and is thought to be a key reason behind the decision.

Meanwhile, Charles‘s eldest grandchild, Prince George, has been given a starring role at the ceremony as the King’s youngest pageboy.

He will be one of eight to attend his grandad King Charles and Queen Camilla and carry the King’s robes.

Meghan Markle has turned down invitation to the coronation using her get out clause of needing to look after the children in Picture: Variety

The Princess of Wales and Meghan Markle have been at odds particularly since Harry’s book Spare criticised her. Picture: Getty Images; Netflix

Leaked plans reveal that Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, will accompany their parents in a carriage to follow the King and Queen Consort as they leave the Abbey.

The plans also show Harry will not form part of the processions leaving Westminster Abbey after the King is crowned. It is believed he will not make an appearance on the palace balcony, reserved only for working royals.

Rehearsals are underway at Westminster Abbey where Prince George, nine, will carry his grandfather’s robes as his youngest page boy Picture: AFP)

Buckingham Palace released a statement on Wednesday that they were “pleased” to announce Prince Harry will attend alone.

“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May,” the statement said.

“The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”

After the most devastating grenade Spare was fired at the royal family, Prince Harry knew his book would cause untold damage and require a mountain of work to mend severed relationships.

And it only took him three months since the tell-all memoir was published to decide to attend the coronation — a delay that has thrown coronation plans into disarray and heightened existing tensions within the royal household.

Harry will be whisked in and out of Britain for a 24-hour appearance at King Charles’s Coronation.

With Meghan blamed, perhaps unfairly, for many of the royal rifts, (The King asked Harry not to bring her to the Queen’s bedside in her final moments saying she would not be welcome) the Sussexes have used their escape clause of needing to look after the children in America. Their son Archie turns four on the day of the coronation.

The couple‘s friend Omid Scobie confirmed Archie’s birthday “played a factor in the couple’s decision” and he expected it would be a “fairly quick trip to the UK” for Harry. The Duke will only attend the ceremony itself, which is likely to last a few hours.

Former BBC journalist Tom Bower has also claimed Princess Kate, insisted Meghan would not be welcome.

“We must all be grateful that Kate, in the end I think, prevented Meghan from coming, and said she ‘wouldn’t have her there under any circumstances’,” Bower said. “And if she [Meghan] did come, she’d have to sit at the back.”

“I do think that for the Royal Family, Harry’s presence is constitutionally important. If, God forbid, the Cambridges all died, we’d have King Harry on the throne after Charles, so he’s got to be there.”

Royal author and journalist Robert Jobson added King would was disappointed that Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet would remain in Montecito rather than come to London.

“The king would have loved his grandchildren there and is saddened he won’t see them on the day,” he said.