At the coronation concert at Windsor Castle, the number of stars was high: the royal family and 20,000 guests celebrated to pop greats like Lionel Richie or Take That. Heir to the throne Prince William addressed personal words to his father.
Around 20,000 fans witnessed the coronation of King Charles III against a spectacularly illuminated backdrop of Windsor Castle. and his wife Camilla celebrated with a star-studded concert. The show in the “Garden of the Royal Family”, as the British actor Hugh Bonneville moderated the spectacle, was the party highlight of the coronation weekend.
“We are delighted and honored to have our newly crowned King Charles III, whose lifelong passion for the arts we will celebrate throughout the show,” said Bonneville. With spring-like temperatures and a sunny festival atmosphere, opera greats, pop stars and a coronation choir consisting of several hundred voices took turns in the evening.
From Lionel Richie to Take That
The American singer Lionel Richie tore the royals from their seats with his hits “Easy Like Sunday Morning” or “All Night Long”. Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli also performed.
The coronation chorus of 300 performers, who collectively say “Brighter Days” by Emile Sande, included a fire brigade choir, a deaf choir and a South Asian choir. Hollywood star Tom Cruise, actress Joan Collins and singer Tom Jones were also connected with video messages.
Dancers from the Royal Ballet collaborated with the Royal Shakespeare Company and other royal artistic institutions in honor of Charles. They performed a mixture of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and Leonard Bernstein’s musical “West Side Story”. Rock musician Steve Windwood sang “Higher Love” with the Commonwealth Choir, made up of participants from various British ex-colonies. The finale featured pop singer Katy Perry and a reunion performance by boy band Take That.
picture series
Coronation Ceremony of King Charles III.
“We’re so proud of you, Pa”
Heir to the throne Prince William addressed personal words to the newly crowned king from the stage: “We are so proud of you, Pa,” he said towards the covered Royal Box, where Charles and Camilla with many other royals – including Prince Andrew – watched the concert. “Coronations are an announcement of our hopes for the future,” William quoted his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II at the concert. She would now be “a very proud mother”.
Organizer BBC offered several visual and humorous highlights. Illuminated drones painted flowers and animals in the night sky – Charles’ call for environmental protection. The sandstone-colored Windsor Castle shone sometimes in gold, sometimes covered in flowers, then in the colors of the Union Jack, the national flag. Popular cartoon characters Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog also made an appearance.
Concert was broadcast in more than 100 countries
Half of the approximately 20,000 concert tickets were raffled among interested people from the British population – people who have done something special were also invited. Big screens were set up across the UK to broadcast the concert. According to the organizers, it could be seen in more than 100 countries around the world.
Hundreds of thousands of Britons had already celebrated their monarch with street parties and neighborhood picnics during the day on Sunday. Today is the “Big Help Out” day. The people are called upon to get involved and do something good for the community in the additional free time.