King Charles III’s coronation was a global historic event but it did not end there. Sunday saw another stunning day with the King’s Coronation Concert. The ‘royal’ weekend was packed with ceremonies around King Charles III’s coronation. Windsor Castle in London was packed with 20,000 guests for the concert that witnessed a string of performances by Paloma Faith, Sir Bryn Terfel, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Alexis Ffrench, Take That, Andrea Bocelli and others.
Performances started at 8pm and continued until a little after 10pm. The stage was set at the East Lawn of the castle’s grounds.
Let’s take a look at the major highlights of the Coronation Concert.
Prince William of Wales paid tribute to his father, King Charles, feeling “proud”. Addressing a gathering of 2,000 people, he highlighted the King’s successful works and said, “Pa, we are all so proud of you,” adding that the late Queen Elizabeth II would be “a proud mother” who was “up there, fondly keeping an eye on us”.
He made a commitment of his own, saying, “I commit to serve you all. King, country and Commonwealth,” adding that King Charles III had “warned us of the risks to our planet’s health long before it was an everyday issue.” He further said that the King’s Prince’s Trust “has supported over a million young people, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, to realise their ambitions.”
The power-packed performances started and Katy Perry set the stage on fire by her surreal singing. Performing in a glistening, metallic-gold, voluminous ball gown, a lion was projected in the skies as she sang “Roar” and rainbow colours lighted the castle in colours just when she sang “after a hurricane comes a rainbow”. She dedicated her song “Fireworks” to the King with whom she has collaborated alongside the British Asian Trust and their Children’s Protection Fund.
Katy Perry was not the only one who gained everyone’s attention. Princess Charlotte happily sang along Perry’s “Roar”. She was enjoying every performance in her own charming ways. From grooving to Lionel Richie’s all-time hits, clapped throughout Take That’s performance and gleefully directed towards her father, Prince William, while he addressed the audience.
Nicole Scherzinger, female band The Pussycat Dolls’ lead singer, wore a Disney Royal Blue gown for her performance in a tribute to the film company’s animated character Mulan. She sang the movie’s rendition by Lea Salonga, “Reflection”, from the movie Mulan.
Actor James Nesbitt gave a spoken word piece, titled ‘We’re Lighting Up The Nation’. It was penned down only for the concert by the chair of the Royal Society of Literature Professor Daljit Nagra.
Indian actor Sonam Kapoor delivered a spoken word piece about the Commonwealth at the Coronation Concert. She was dressed in an elegant Anamika Khanna-Emilia Wickstead dress and addressed the audience with a “namaste”. She spoke, “Our Commonwealth is a union. Together, we are one third of the world’s people. One third of the world’s ocean. One quarter of the world’s land. Each of our countries is unique; each of our peoples special, but we choose to stand as one, learning from our history; blessed by our diversity; driven by our values; and determined to build a more peaceful, sustainable and prosperous future for everyone; where every voice is heard.”
Singer Lionel Richie was successful in swaying the entire crowd including the royal family members. He began his performance with his hit ‘Easy’ and also performed his iconic ‘All Night Long’ which had the audience sang along lifting and swaying their hands.
The concert was indeed dedicated to the King, as, in between the performances “Did you know?” facts about Charles were on display.
