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Alas, poor King Charles. Many of the top artists who his people asked to perform at his big coronation bash just can’t – or don’t want to – make it.
In preparation for his crowning ceremony on 6 May, invites were extended to some of Britain’s biggest entertainment names to be part of the festivities but it’s now emerged that many have politely declined
Well-known musicians who declined to take part in the weekend of celebrations include Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and Robbie Williams and now fans are wondering why.
“Organisers are working against the clock to pull together an exciting line-up but have hit a series of challenges,” a royal source told UK tabloid The Sun.
Elton John, once a close friend of Princess Diana, can't make it because scheduling conflicts – much to the new king's disappointment.
“Elton was top of Charles’ list but due to his European tour, which sees him performing in Germany the Friday before then again soon after the Windsor concert, he isn’t able to make the dash to the UK work,” the source explains.
“Meanwhile, man-of-the-moment Harry Styles is also tied up with touring and unable to get key band members together as they’ll be on much-needed downtime.”
Spice Girls fans were hoping the ceremony would be an excuse for a reunion but Victoria Beckham, Mel B, Mel C, Emma Bunton and Geri Horner reportedly just haven’t had time for rehearsals.
There's also speculation that there might be another reason why stars don't want to get involved in the event.
“The royal family has faced a number of PR disasters in recent times, and anyone performing at the show would have to consider whether there would be a backlash from appearing,” Simon Jones, a publicist for Little Mix, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, told Rolling Stone.
Adele has also declined the gig for unspecified reasons.
The line-up for the last royal celebration – Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee last year – included the likes of Diana Ross, Sir Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys and Elton John.
“I don’t know what there is to gain for artists by associating with him,” says a source at a leading British music PR company. “With the queen, she was fab and glamorous to some people. Charles doesn’t add anything — there’s not a legacy of his that anyone would want to align with.”
It remains to be seen which other A-list performers join Lionel Richie; Kylie Minogue and her sister, Dannii Minogue; and band Take That (without Robbie Williams), who’ve been named as headliners so far.
SOURCES: ROLLINGSTONE.COM, TIME.COM, PAGESIX.COM, THESUN.CO.UK
