The star-studded concert to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III will be held on Sunday, May 7, a day after the monarch is crowned with a fanfare of newly commissioned classical music.
The Windsor Castle concert, which will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, will feature performances by acts including Take That, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel, Freya Ridings and Alexis Ffrench.
The concert will be hosted by Hugh Bonneville, star of Paddington and Downton Abbey, while Terfel will perform a selection of Welsh folk songs.
The monarch has also commissioned 12 new pieces of music for the ceremony that will install him on the throne. The centrepiece is a new Coronation Anthem composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Baron Lloyd Webber, famous for creating popular musicals such as Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, has revealed that the anthem will feature “words slightly adapted from Psalm 98” and will be sung by the Westminster Abbey choir.
He said he was “incredibly honoured to have been asked to compose a new anthem” and that he hopes his music “captures the spirit of this joyous occasion...”
The commissioning of new music for the coronation is a long-standing tradition. Previous coronations have featuring works from composers such as George Frideric Handel and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The coronation will also feature ceremonies and rituals such as the anointing of the monarch with holy oil and the crowning of the sovereign with St Edward’s Crown.
These have been a part of coronations in the UK for centuries and serve as a reminder of the monarchy’s role in the country’s history.
The UK prepares for the coronation of King Charles III — in pictures
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Royal enthusiasts at their impromptu campsite on The Mall in London, where they await the May 6 coronation procession of King Charles III. Getty -
Police officers patrol near Westminster Abbey as security is heightened for the coronation. AFP -
A telephone box in the village of Compton, Surrey, decorated with the ears, nose and crown of King Charles. AFP -
A royal fan takes a break after booking his spot on the coronation route in London. AP -
Town crier Tony Appleton takes the train into central London. AFP -
The drum major's state coat, adorned with the new CR III cypher, to be worn during the coronation. AFP -
Decorations are put up outside Number 10 Downing Street in London. AP -
A royal fan gets into the spirit of the coronation on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace. Reuters -
Yeoman of the Guard, the British sovereign's bodyguards, prepare to board a bus in London. Getty -
The UK's military held a full dress rehearsal for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III on Tuesday night. Reuters -
A royal fan sleeps at The Mall outside Buckingham Palace as the countdown to the coronation continues. Reuters -
Big Ben, in central London, is lit up during a rehearsal for the ceremony. PA -
An art installation in London depicts St Edward's Crown. AP -
Madame Tussauds in Sydney, Australia, unveils a waxwork figure of King Charles, alongside figures of Prince William and his wife Kate. Reuters -
Royalists have slept out on The Mall in London for days for the best view of the ceremony. EPA -
A knitted coronation-themed postbox topper in Isleworth, London. AP -
Tailor William Skinner with a ceremonial uniform on Savile Row, London, before the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, on May 6. Reuters -
Caroline de Guitaut, deputy surveyor of the King's Works of Art, adjusts the imperial mantle, a part of the coronation vestments, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. AFP -
A banner celebrating the coronation at Kings Cross Station in London. AP -
Upholsterer Beatrice Ekwalla works on restoring a throne chair for the coronation at the Marlborough House workshops in London. AFP -
Royal fan Margaret Tyler poses for a portrait in the living room of her home in north London. EPA -
Parliament Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle with the Speaker's State Coach. PA -
Violinist Adrianna Forbes-Dorant, 17, takes part in a rehearsal with the Brixton Chamber Orchestra for coronation performances in London. AP -
British Army soldiers rehearse at RAF Odiham for a coronation parade. Getty -
Shoppers browse souvenirs for the coronation of King Charles III outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Reuters -
Temporary stands are constructed on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace, central London. PA -
Members of the military pass by Westminster Abbey in central London during a night-time rehearsal for the coronation. AP -
Britain's Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, attends a Coronation Big Lunch at Westminster Abbey. Reuters -
The London Scottish Band in Burlington Arcade, London, at an unveiling of a celebratory installation to mark the coronation. PA -
A crown is placed on top of a flagpole on The Mall in London. Getty Images -
The official 'Crowning of the King' souvenir programme sits on a shop shelf in central London. AFP -
Workers prepare the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the big event. AFP -
Ardent monarchist Anita Atkinson sits among her 13,283 pieces of royal memorabilia at her Weardale farm near Bishop Auckland. AFP -
Members of the Household Cavalry take part in a rehearsal for the coronation at Buckingham Palace. Getty Images -
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will travel to the coronation in the modern Diamond Jubilee State Coach and return in the Gold State Coach, pictured. PA -
A potter works on chinaware produced for the coronation at a factory in Stoke-on-Trent. AFP -
The Coronation Chair, also known as St Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair, at Westminster Abbey in London. AFP -
King Charles is presented with the first struck £5 coronation coin by Royal Mint chief executive Anne Jessopp and director Rebecca Morgan at Windsor Castle. Reuters -
The first struck £5 coronation coin. Reuters -
A member of staff at Fudge Kitchen puts up bunting in Windsor. PA -
A crown made by British milliner Justin Smith, created using 319 Scrabble tiles to mark the board game's 75th anniversary and the coronation. PA -
People browse a souvenir kiosk in London. Reuters -
The new commemorative 50p coin, part of the coronation coin collection. PA
Fake news and the concert
A video that went viral on social media falsely claiming that no English artists had agreed to perform at the concert suggested that the entire British music scene had dismissed the event.
The video, which has garnered more than 202,000 views, stated that “no English singer accepted his [King Charles’s] call” to perform and “no one wants to be an entertainer at his party”.
Adele and Ed Sheeran are among the artists who declined the offer to perform.
Adele, 34, the Hello singer, rejected the invitation, while Sheeran, 32, said he would find it “difficult” to perform at the event because of a gig in America, aceshowbiz.com reported.
Elton John and Harry Styles also declined the offer, citing scheduling conflicts.
The video also alleged that King Charles had “been forced to spend millions” on entertainers for the concert. While reports indicate that performers will have their expenses covered, it is not clear whether they will receive an appearance fee in addition to this.
The ticket process angered some fans, who described it as misleading.
Those who won tickets to attend the concert were left disappointed after they were all claimed.
Thousands complained on Twitter after the final pairs from the last of three ballots were issued on a first-come first-served basis.
Ticketmaster allocated the tickets, and the event is organised by the BBC. The original BBC ballot rules stated that tickets would not be allocated on a first-come first-served basis, and that unclaimed tickets would be reallocated.
