Coronation concert latest: TV viewing figures released after Katy Perry wows Windsor Castle
Lionel Richie and Paloma Faith among performers as Prince William pays tribute to his father and Queen Camilla
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The Prince of Wales paid a touching tribute to his father at an extravagant concert held to celebrate King Charles III’s coronation.
“Pa, we are all so proud of you,” said Prince William, before praising the King’s dedication to the crown, as well as his environmental and charity work.
The heir to the throne took to the stage in front of 20,000 people at Windsor Castle, ahead of a line-up of performers including Take That, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Paloma Faith, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel, and Alexis Ffrench.
A medley of theatre, ballet, theatre and arts performances also took place, featuring newDoctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa in an interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Festivities began at 8pm and lasted until just after 10pm, and were staged the East Lawn of the castle’s grounds, marking the first time an event like this has taken place on the property. Those not at Windsor Castle were able to watch the concert live on BBC One.
The TV viewing figures for the coronation concert have now been released.
Watch: King Charles III and Queen Camilla make surprise appearance on American Idol during coronation
King Charles coronation: Timings, schedule and key events
The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla took place on Saturday, May 6.
The historic occasion, which was Britain’s first coronation since that of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, saw 2,000 guests gather in Westminster Abbey to watch Charles and Camilla be crowned and anointed.
Each minute of the day was planned carefully, from the arrivals of foreign royals, dignitaries and other guests, to the moment Charles stepped out of the Abbey as the new monarch.
Crowds of people eager to catch a glimpse of the grand procession that will see the King and Queen Consort returning to Buckingham Palace grew steadily throughout the morning, despite the threat of heavy rain.
Here is a breakdown of what took place during the ceremony and what’s happening beyond.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte giggle at Miss Piggy and Kermit’s appearance at coronation concert
Prince George and Princess Charlotte didn’t hold back their amusement on Sunday when Muppets Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog made an appearance at King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s coronation concert.
On Sunday 7 May, the two eldest children of the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the concert on the lawn of Windsor Castle with their parents.
As George, nine, and Charlotte, eight, watched the lineup of star-studded performances from the front row of the royal box, where they were joined by the King and Queen, they were seen enjoying themselves at the surprise appearances of Miss Piggy and Kermit, who joined host Hugh Bonneville.
Read more:
George and Charlotte giggle as Miss Piggy and Kermit appear at coronation concert
Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined their parents in royal box during coronation concert
The best-dressed attendees from the Coronation concert
The highly anticipated coronation concert kicked off on the lawn of Windsor Castle, with members of the royal family and celebrities arriving for the star-studded lineup of musical performances.
Below is a list of the best-dressed attendees.
Coronation concert: Best-dressed attendees from Princess of Wales to Katy Perry
King Charles III and Queen Camilla wore shades of blue for outdoor concert, while Katy Perry wore ‘iconic’ gold gown
Prince William’s touching speech to father at coronation concert in full
The Prince of Wales paid a touching tribute to his father at the concert held to celebrate King Charles III’s coronation, saying: “Pa, we are all so proud of you.”
Taking to the stage in front of 20,000 people at Windsor Castle, Prince William praised the King’s dedication to the crown, as well as his environmental and charity work.
William said the King had “warned us of the risks to our planet’s health long before it was an everyday issue.”
He also highlighted the Prince’s Trust, established by his father, which he said “has supported over a million young people, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, to realise their ambitions.”
Read more:
Prince of Wales’s touching speech to father at coronation concert
Prince of Wales tells King Charles that Queen Elizabeth II would be ‘a very proud mother’
The King and Queen watch over an eclectic coronation concert, starring Katy Perry, Prince William and Miss Piggy
An eclectic mix of entertainers, from Take That to Andrea Bocelli, performed a special coronation concert at Windsor Castle in front of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Sunday.
Around 20,000 people attended the event, held on the East Lawn of the castle grounds, with the newly crowned monarch watching on from the royal box. Joining the King and Queen were Prince William, the Princess of Wales and their eldest two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
During the concert, William delivered an emotional tribute to his father that recognised the King’s environmentalism and his charity work with the Prince’s Trust, in a speech that also touched on his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Louis Chilton reports on the coronation concert:
The King and Queen watch over an eclectic coronation concert
Around 20,000 fans of music and the monarchy flocked to Windsor Castle to celebrate the newly crowned Charles and Camilla
Olly Murs ‘honoured and humbled’ to perform in coronation concert
Olly Murs said he was “honoured and humbled” to be asked to perform at the coronation concert on Sunday, 7 May.
The Essex singer performed his 2011 hit “Dance With me Tonight” on stage at Windsor Castle in front of 20,000 spectators including King Charles III, the Queen, and other members of the royal family.
Katy Perry: ‘No big deal’ to spend night in Windsor Castle
Katy Perry joked that spending the night in Windsor Castle ahead of her spectacular performance at the King’s Coronation Concert was “no big deal”.
The US singer, 38, gave an electric rendition of her hit tracks Roar and Firework at the celebratory event held in the grounds of the castle on Sunday evening, dedicating the latter to the King in honour of the work they do together with the British Asian Trust and their Children’s Protection Fund.
Dressed in a glistening, metallic-gold, voluminous ballgown which featured a train and matching sleeves, she made a dramatic entrance by walking out singing the opening lyrics to Roar as a drone projection of a lion’s head graced the sky above her.
Ahead of her performance of her song ‘Firework’, Perry told the cheering crowd of around 20,000 people which included the King and Queen: “I am so happy to be here with you people, I love you so much.
“I’m so happy to celebrate this whole weekend. I got to bring my mum, she is so happy to be here and we get to stay in Windsor Castle – no big deal.”
Below is a clip of Princess Charlotte dancing along to Perry’s performance:
Royal Society poem heralds ‘new phase’ after King’s coronation
A poem debuted at the coronation concert told of a new phase as city skies were lit up across the nation “like a smile”.
James Nesbitt performed a spoken word piece entitled We’re Lighting Up The Nation, written especially for the occasion by the chair of the Royal Society of Literature Professor Daljit Nagra.
The Cold Feet star said: “No one’s an island when each is at home in the hope and glory! Born free – we’re a plucky bunch of every shade.
“From the bronze of the Celts across our Roman roads to Windrush and beyond, today, just now, the spectacular parades of light travelling from Windsor to iconic heartlands across the realm so the kingdom be unified.
“Imagine Edinburgh Castle near monuments for Scott and Burns, or imagine across the waters of Belfast our titanic dockyard and the blood-sweat, the toil that launched a thousand ships.
“Over there’s Blackpool for Punch & Judy, glad rags for the tango and foxtrot, and out for a pint of Newkie Brown by the Gateshead Bridge, that harp of the Toon, the Tyne - it’s all mine.
“Now all Yorkshire beams from the hall of seven-hilled Sheffield, now my heart’s with the famed anthem, the land of my fathers at Cardiff Millennium!
“Everywhere I look, from the golden miles of Leicester with their chicken masalas and jollof rice to an eco-haven amid the botanical gardens of Cambridge like the oasis at Eden with its rainforest under a dome, to our bold promise of the cliffs of Dover, everywhere I look, within our shores, I feel a new phase, new chapter must begin, just now, so let’s light up the nation like a smile!”
Coronation concert: All the best jibes at the King
There were always going to be a few digs...
Independent TV rounds-up the best jokes at the King’s expense from the coronation conert.
Hugh Bonneville had a go, as did Tom Cruise. Even Prince William!
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