Global music icons dominate a concert celebrating the coronation of King Charles III on May 7.
The first artists announced to take the stage at Windsor Castle are pop icons Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, British band Take That and singer-songwriter Freya Ridings.
“Sharing the stage with the other performers at The Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honor and a celebration,” Richie said in a statement Friday. The single co-writer of “We Are The World,” who was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was previously named as the first global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, a major charitable trust for King Charles III, and was therefore named widely tipped to perform at the coronation celebration.
The BBC, which will produce and broadcast the concert, also said opera stars Andrea Bocelli and Bryn Terfel will perform a duet together, and classical soul composer Alexis Ffrench will also perform at the coronation celebration.
They are expected to perform for the newly crowned King, the Queen Consort and an audience of around 20,000 as the concert can also be heard or seen on the BBC’s radio and TV platforms and elsewhere internationally.
Additional talent for the star-studded concert will be announced in the coming weeks, with speculation over which music stars will be performing that has dominated UK tabloids for weeks.
The official coronation of King Charles III, after a period of mourning for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6.
