King Charles can't find anyone who wants to perform for his coronation

AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool

No one wants to perform at King Charles’ coronation. So far, all those asked to perform have taken a pass on the Big Party.

On May 6, Charles will be crowned king and his wife will be queen. It’s going to be a big shindig. There hasn’t been one since 1953 when it was a coronation for Queen Elizabeth II. So, there are big plans to celebrate. Unfortunately for Charles, he’s not nearly as popular as his mother was. He may be the next King of England but he’s a weenie, let’s be honest. He tries to balance being a traditional royal with being kinda, sorta woke and it just doesn’t work. Add to that all the scandals the royals find themselves in these days and who can blame people for staying away from all that mess?

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It’s disappointing for me, as an Anglophile, I can’t help but look forward to all the ceremony and regal traditions that this coronation should bring. The day after the coronation, there will be a coronation Big Lunch, followed by a Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle. The BBC will broadcast the concert and 10,000 free tickets have been distributed to the public. Will there be a concert? That is the question right now. The palace is having trouble booking the entertainment.

Last week it was reported that many A-list acts are too busy to perform at the Coronation Concert, though the plan was to have a lot of stars take the stage to mark the occasion. Elton John, Harry Styles, and the Spice Girls (I know)all turned invitations down. All cited busy schedules.

Elsewhere, Take That are reportedly set to join the star-studded line-up of acts, including sisters Kylie and Dannii Minogue.

The iconic boyband, which now consists of Gary Barlow, 52, Mark Owen, 51, and Howard Donald, 54, are said to be headlining the event at Windsor Castle in May, according to The Sun.

It is expected that Jason Orange, who left the band in 2014, could also sing with them in the celebration.

However, Robbie Williams is understood to not be appearing in the show.

I have no idea who Take That is, to be honest. I do know Lionel Richie, though, and he’s confirmed to perform.

While most of the musicians declined to explain why they would not take the stage, a rep for John confirmed to the magazine that the legendary Piano Man, 75, had been asked but could not attend due to scheduling issues.

Experts believe no one wants to perform because they therefore would be associated with the scandal-scarred monarchy.

“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 amongst their fans,” Simon Jones, a publicist for Little Mix, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, told Rolling Stone in the article.

Others feel that aligning with Charles, 74, would not benefit their careers at this time.

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The head of a leading British music PR company said it’s all about the storytelling, or something. How the royal family has fallen.

“For them right now, storytelling is really important,” Meg, a head of a leading British music PR company who asked for her full name to be withheld, said of Adele, 34, and Styles, 29. “These big symbolic associations carry a lot of weight and literally go down in history books in bold and underlined. I can understand why there’d be a big PR discussion around artists doing it or not.”

Meg added, “With [Queen Elizabeth II], 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’s televised, so a lot of people will hear your songs, sure, but in terms of long-term PR strategy, I don’t know if performing would add positively to an artist’s narrative unless they were staunchly pro the monarchy.”

At this point, Harry and Meghan have not been invited to the coronation.

It seems like this shindig should have been planned out and finalized a long time ago, doesn’t it? Here we are at the beginning of March and the Coronation Concert is on May 7. Maybe the Palace thought everyone would drop everything and say yes, no matter the length of notice. Charles’ staff should have known better than that, after recent years and the scandals his family has faced. Compare this kerfuffle to the fact that everyone and their brother played for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last June. All the performers were eager to celebrate her 70 years on the throne. Now they are running away from the family.

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A royal source told British tabloid The Sun that “organizers are working against the clock to pull together an exciting line-up but have hit a series of challenges.” Elton John and Harry Styles—reportedly top picks for Charles—declined invitations to perform, citing scheduling conflicts. John, a lifelong friend of the late Princess Diana, will reportedly be deep into a European tour and cannot justify the excursion, while Styles, who is also touring, would not be able to get his band together during their downtime.

Additionally, Ed Sheeran will reportedly be too busy preparing for an upcoming gig in Houston, Texas, to take up Charles’ offer. Meanwhile, Adele—who is now based in the U.S.—has declined the offer for unspecified reasons.

In January, rumors emerged of a Spice Girls reunion with all five original members taking place at the coronation concert. But according to The Sun, the iconic British girl band will not be performing due to lack of rehearsal time for Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Horner, Emma Bunton, and Victoria Beckham.

Charles has pledged a less extravagant ceremony, partly in response to the cost-of-living crisis, he said. And, because he’s a weenie. Let the people enjoy the coronation. They want the show and spectacle it is. It’s been since 1953, for heaven’s sake. I’ll be tuning in for it all. Sorry. Not sorry.

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