Tom Cruise, Dame Joan Collins, Bear Grylls, and Sir Tom Jones are among the latest stars set to appear in the Coronation Concert on May 7, according to a recent announcement. The concert will also feature pre-recorded sketches with Charles and Camilla, which were taken last month in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace by official photographer Hugo Burnand.
The concert, which will take place in the grounds of Windsor Castle in front of a crowd of 20,000 members of the public, will also be broadcast across BBC television and radio. The pre-recorded sketches are expected to reveal little-known facts about the monarch and will feature former Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse and Winnie the Pooh.
The concert lineup already includes Take That, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, veteran rock guitarist Steve Winwood, Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls, Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Nigerian singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage, DJ Pete Tong, and the teenage winner of The Piano TV talent show, Lucy. Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor has also been chosen to deliver a spoken performance.
BBC director of unscripted Kate Phillips said, “Against the stunning backdrop of Windsor Castle, it’s going to be a jam-packed evening of memorable moments that Their Majesties and everyone in the UK can enjoy.”
The Coronation Concert will be preceded by the King’s Coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London. It was recently announced that the King will be anointed behind a private screen during his crowning, which will offer him more seclusion than his predecessors enjoyed. About 150 people were involved in producing the embroidered screen, including some from the Royal School of Needlework, livery companies, and fabric firms.
In addition to the pre-recorded sketches, new pictures of Charles and Camilla were released by Burnand, who was the official photographer at their wedding in 2005. One picture shows the pair standing together in blue outfits, while in the other two they sit separately on blue and gold chairs. The pictures were taken in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace last month.
The Coronation Concert promises to be an exciting event, featuring a star-studded line-up and a stunning backdrop at Windsor Castle.
