These 5 Celebrities Refused To Sing at King Charles III’s Coronation
Celebrities That Skipped Singing at the Coronation
In 2023, a day of street celebrations and community meal events around the UK in honor of King Charles III culminated in a stunning coronation performance held on the grounds of Windsor Castle. When the newly crowned King and Queen sat down in the royal box to witness a star-studded ensemble, the 20,000-strong audience burst into a tremendous cheer. Not many are aware that a number of well-known British celebs turned down offers to participate in this three-day royal extravaganza. Five celebrities are listed below who turned down the royal invitation.
1. The Spice Girls
One of the largest bands in Brit Pop in the 1990s, they have also appeared as special guests on many occasions in royal history, particularly in regard to Charles. During an occasion for Charles' charity The Prince's Trust in 1997, Geri Horner, also known as 'Ginger Spice', broke royal decorum by kissing Charles on the cheek and patting his behind. Halliwell went it a step further and told Charles he was 'very sexy' before pinching his butt. Halliwell then claimed that all she did was give the prince a tender touch. The Sun revealed at the time that the group was so busy with rehearsals that their calendars were just full.
2. Harry Styles
Harry Styles rejected, citing his present tour as one of the reasons, an insider told The Sun. They said that he was unable to assemble "key band members due to their much-needed downtime." As per Harpers Bazaar, Styles performed a gig in Denmark on May 13 of that year, according to his tour itinerary, but there were no further dates listed. As per his social media account, he performed in Tokyo on March 29th as his penultimate gig before the Denmark slot. Styles was probably in Europe at the time of the coronation, based on the May 13 gig in Denmark.
3. Robbie Williams
While Robbie Williams' former band Take That was going to the stage for the coronation celebrations, he didn't join them, despite valiant efforts from organizers to convince him otherwise. The band's lead vocalist, Gary Barlow, made a significant effort to make sure the band could fit the coronation performance into their schedule, according to an insider who spoke with the Daily Mail. The insider revealed, "They were asked some weeks back and jumped at the chance, they feel very honored but there was little notice so it has been a challenge."
4. Sir Elton John
There is no denying that Elton John is a favorite of the royal family; to just a few, he played poignantly at Princess Diana's burial, at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, and during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Naturally, people anticipate seeing John at any royal function. John's team revealed that he was asked to perform at the ceremony, but his schedule just didn't work out. An insider told The Sun that John was one of the king's top choices. The source said at the time, "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 U.K. work."
5. Adele
According to confirmation from The Daily Mail, Adele was not going to sing at the coronation event. Without providing any details, the singer acknowledged that she was busy and that she had appointments scheduled. King Charles III gave her the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) that she received from Queen Elizabeth II in 2013. Many wondered whether the royal family's tense relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has anything to do with it, there didn't appear to be any continuing tension between them at the time. As when Adele was asked to select between Prince Harry and Prince William at the 73 Questions with Vogue in 2021, she chose Harry without even blinking.
