All the Celebrities Who Refused to Perform at King Charles's Coronation
King Charles III and Queen Camilla's coronation is set to be a major three-day event for the royal family and the United Kingdom—which is why it's so surprising that several British celebrities decided to decline invitations to perform for it.
Buckingham Palace has now confirmed that singers Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will be leading the big Coronation Concert on May 7—one day after the Westminster Abbey ceremony—but it did take a while to solidify the list of musical performers.
Ahead, see every star who declined to sing during King Charles's coronation weekend.
Sir Elton John
John is a longtime friend of the royal family, and was famously very close to Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II. (He even performed a tribute to the monarch at a concert in Toronto, Canada, following her death on September 8, 2022.)
The "Rocket Man" singer additionally attended Prince William and Princess Kate's wedding in 2011 and performed at the luncheon following Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's wedding in 2018.
He is also friendly with King Charles and Queen Camilla, and had the royals as guests at his wedding to David Furnish in 2005. Still, he had to say no to singing at the coronation due to scheduling conflicts, his team confirmed to Rolling Stone.
The Spice Girls
Remember when Mel B and Geri gave King Charles (then Prince Charles) a kiss on the cheek at a Prince's Trust dinner in 1997? That will not be happening at the coronation.
Despite initial rumors that the Spice Girls would reunite (with or without Victoria Beckham) for the king and queen consort's Coronation Concert, Rolling Stone reported that they too passed on the opportunity.
Adele
Adele—once named 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, though it comes after she reportedly also passed on performing at 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 the chance to perform at the coronation, per Rolling Stone. When the magazine asked his team why, they declined to comment.
Styles reportedly also passed on performing 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 shared an emotional tribute to her on Instagram. "I am truly saddened at the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She represented Britain around the world with poise and strength - my thoughts are with the Royal Family and all who loved her," he wrote at the time.
His team provided no comment on his refusal to perform at the coronation, per Rolling Stone.
Who will perform?
Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will headline the Coronation Concert. The show will also feature performances by Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel, Take That, Freya Ridings, and Alexis Ffrench.
Perry and Richie, who both serve as judges on American Idol, have prior relationships with King Charles. In 2020, Perry was appointed as an ambassador of The British Asian Trust, a charity co-founded by the then-Prince Charles. Meanwhile, Richie became the first global ambassador for The Prince's Trust, in 2019.
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