(London) Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Andrea Bocelli will headline the concert given for the coronation of Charles III, in the notable absence of any great British videographer, the BBC announced on Friday as the event sparks the moment little enthusiasm of the public.
This eclectic poster will also bring together the boy band Take That – in its current form and without its founder Robbie Williams – or the classical music composer Alexis Ffrench for the performance planned in front of 20,000 people at Windsor Castle, on the outskirts of London, the day after the coronation.
“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,” said the BBC, which will broadcast the event.
There will also be a choir made up of amateurs from different communities: sea rescuers, taxi drivers and reggae groups, in addition to a virtual choir bringing together representatives of the Commonwealth, an alliance of nations composed mainly of former British colonies.
The announcement of the program for this concert confirms press reports indicating the refusal of the main British stars to perform, such as Elton John, Adele, Ed Sheeran, or Harry Styles.
Last year, for the 70th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II, Queen Adam Lambert, Duran Duran, Alicia Key, Rod Stewart and Diana Rosse performed outside Buckingham Palace. Elton John had recorded a tribute.
The coronation of Charles III, the first event of its kind since that of Elizabeth in 1953, does not excite the British for the moment, preoccupied by a year of soaring prices causing a serious social crisis and who have already experienced in one year the Elizabeth II’s jubilee last June and then her funeral in September.
According to a poll by the YouGov institute published on Friday, almost two-thirds of Britons (64%) and 75% of young people are not interested, but 46% think they will watch the broadcasts or participate in certain planned celebrations (holidays neighborhoods, etc.).
The coronation itself, on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, will be held in front of 2,000 guests and is expected to last an hour, in a more modest format than that of Elizabeth II (8,000 guests and three hours).
Many crowned heads and foreign leaders will be present, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, but US President Joe Biden will be represented by his wife Jill and Prince Harry, at odds with the royal family, will come without his wife Meghan.
