Music stars refusing to perform at king’s coronation – media

Pop star Harry Styles has reportedly refused an offer to perform at King Charles III’s upcoming coronation. Styles is the latest big name to turn down the gig, apparently due to a busy schedule, with royal experts insisting the British monarch is not being snubbed.

Charles III, who succeeded his late mother Queen Elizabeth II on the British throne after her reign of 70 years, is set to be crowned on May 6, but is reportedly having trouble securing popular musical acts for the ceremony.

According to the Sun newspaper, pop legend Elton John and the Spice Girls have also passed up the opportunity due to prior engagements. Previous reports also suggested Adele and Ed Sheeran had rejected offers to perform.

British band Take That will headline the coronation, but its most famous former member Robbie Williams, who left the group in 1995, has apparently ruled out a return for the event. Australian singers and sisters Kylie and Dannii Minogue are also tentatively due to perform.

The Sun’s royal sources claimed Elton John, who performed at Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee in 2022 and at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, was “top of Charles’ list,” but couldn’t make it due to other touring dates.

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Royal expert and author Christopher Andersen told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that there was “a long list of American pop stars chomping at the bit to perform.” He claimed artists who previously performed at events for the queen, such as Diana Ross, Alicia Keys and Andrea Bocelli, would likely be invited to do so again.

Another royal expert, Shannon Felton Spence, told Fox that Charles has “a ton of goodwill in the entertainment industry” and stars turning down the invitation likely “doesn’t reflect anything other than scheduling conflicts.”

The king’s start to his reign has been overshadowed by a scandal over his younger son Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir, in which he claimed he was “subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies” by the press. He and his American wife Meghan Markle also accused members of the royal family of making racist comments about their mixed-race child in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.