Lionel Richie will sing at King Charles’ coronation concert at his own request. A day after Charles, 74, and his wife Queen Consort Camilla, 75, are crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6, the “Three Times a Lady” legend, who has a timeless back catalog of classics, is scheduled to sing for the British monarch as part of a concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Lionel Richie disclosed to E! News that the monarch has requested a certain track, adding, “And the answer is yes, I will do it. We will not reveal it because it’s completely enveloped in secrecy. So, all I can tell you is I’m very happy to be there.”
The 73-year-old singer acknowledged that while he has a fair concept of his setlist, some details are still coming together, “I don’t even know what we’re going to finalize. All I know is we’ve got this wonderful invitation. I’m pulling from everywhere,” he continued.
The “Hello” singer admitted that although he is familiar with the royal family, there are frequently aspects of the formal protocol that take him by surprise. He said, “There’s always something where I go, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that.’ Be prepared, just be sure to just say sir and ma’am – forget everything else. Just remember sir and ma’am, and you kind of walk your way through.”
Along with Katy Perry, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Welsh opera legend Sir Bryn Terfel, soul pianist Alexis Ffrench, and singer-songwriter Freya Ridings, Lionel Richie will be performing on the star-studded bill. After it became known that Lionel and the Take That group Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen had signed up, the headliners were made public.
A 70-piece orchestra, the Massed Bands of the Household Division, the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra, and a 300-member Coronation Choir are all scheduled to perform with them. The late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee event, which featured songs by Queen, Duran Duran, and Diana Ross, took place less than a year ago.
