The 'All Night Long (All Night)' singer reveals that he has said 'yes' to the British monarch's request for a specific track, while admitting that he's often surprised by the official protocol.
- Apr 18, 2023
AceShowbiz - King Charles has made a personal request for Lionel Richie's performance at his Coronation Concert. The "Three Times a Lady" legend, who has a timeless back catalogue of hits, is set to perform for the British monarch as part of a concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle a day after Charles, 74, is crowned along with his wife Queen Consort Camilla, 75, at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Speaking to E! News, Lionel revealed the king has asked for a specific track, saying, "And the answer is yes, I will do it. We will not reveal because it's completely enveloped in secrecy. So, all I can tell you is I'm very happy to be there."
Despite having a good idea about his setlist, the 73-year-old singer admitted other aspects are still coming together. He added, "I don't even know what we're going to finalise. All I know is we've got this wonderful invitation. I'm pulling from everywhere."
The "Hello" hitmaker is no stranger to the royals, but explained there are often aspects of the official protocol that he gets surprised by. 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."
Lionel will be joined on the star studded bill by the likes of Katy Perry and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who will duet with Welsh opera icon Sir Bryn Terfel, as well as soul pianist Alexis Ffrench and singer-songwriter Freya Ridings. The headliners were revealed after it emerged Lionel had signed up, along with Take That trio Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen.
They will be backed by musicians including a 70-piece orchestra, and the Massed Bands of the Household Division and Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra, with a 300-strong Coronation Choir also lined up to feature in the show. It comes less than a year after the concert to mark the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee, which included music by Queen, Duran Duran and Diana Ross.
