Guests started to gather at Windsor Castle eight hours before the Coronation Concert began. PA
Guests started to gather at Windsor Castle eight hours before the Coronation Concert began. PA
Guests started to gather at Windsor Castle eight hours before the Coronation Concert began. PA
Guests started to gather at Windsor Castle eight hours before the Coronation Concert began. PA

Star-studded Coronation Concert takes place at Windsor Castle


Laura O'Callaghan
  • English
  • Arabic

Follow the latest news from the coronation of King Charles here

Thousands of royal fans have packed into the grounds of Windsor Castle to watch a star-studded line-up of artists perform at a concert to celebrate King Charles III’s coronation.

Household names appearing on the stage include Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Olly Murs, Take That, Nicole Scherzinger and Italian opera legend Andrea Bocelli.

The 20,000-strong audience will also be entertained by a choir of nurses, doctors and other workers in the UK’s National Health Service, the Royal Ballet, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera among others.

Ticket-holders, who started queueing at noon on the Long Walk will also watch pre-recorded video sketches from actors Tom Cruise and Dame Joan Collins, adventurer Bear Grylls.

Singer Tom Jones will use his message to reveal little-known facts about King Charles.

The show, which started at 8pm on Sunday, comes on the second day of coronation celebrations across the UK and the Commonwealth.

It is hosted by actor Hugh Bonneville, 59, best known for his role in Downton Abbey and the Paddington films. He said he was delighted to be announcing the acts.

"In true British style, come rain or shine it will be a night to remember,” Bonneville said.

Royal fans head to the Coronation Concert in Windsor. PA
Royal fans head to the Coronation Concert in Windsor. PA

His central role in the concert at the king's castle is seen as a nod to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who collaborated with Paddington Bear for a sketch to mark her platinum jubilee last summer.

DJ Pete Tong said King Charles specifically requested Ibiza classic songs as part of his coronation concert.

The BBC Radio 1 DJ, who has been given the task of delivering the king’s wish at the event, said he hoped it would be a brilliant way to start the show.

Sarah Edwards and her daughter Charlotte travelled from Suffolk to the royal town to attend the concert.

“We watched all the coronation on TV yesterday," Sarah said. “It made us really excited to be here today. I think it’s a big part of history for my daughter to be a part of.

“I’m really excited to be part of such a big day.”

Faatimah and Hafsah Malik had a much shorter journey as they live in nearby Slough.

The pair were excited to watch Katy Perry and were hoping to catch a glimpse of King Charles.

“I would like to meet them," Hafsah said. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was really shocking to win the tickets.

“I love Kate. She has a really beautiful style. It’s very simple but elegant.”

Shakeela Ahmed and her niece Farah Mukhtar. Laura O'Callaghan / The National
Shakeela Ahmed and her niece Farah Mukhtar. Laura O'Callaghan / The National

Many royal fans had failed to get tickets to the sold-out event and instead opted to attend a free party on the lawn in front of the castle on Sunday afternoon.

The Prince and Princess of Wales made a surprise appearance at the gathering and chatted to revellers and performers.

Kate told The National that their three children were in good spirits after being in the spotlight at the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

Asked how Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were feeling after the big day, Kate told of their joy at participating in the ceremony.

“They’re good, thank you very much,” she told The National. “They enjoyed yesterday.”

While Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Louis sat with their parents in the abbey, George, nine, was seated separately as he acted as one of four Pages of Honour to the king.

Steven and Christine Birch basked in the afternoon sun on the Long Walk on Sunday afternoon, soaking up the celebratory atmosphere.

The couple travelled to London and Windsor for the coronation but sadly missed out on tickets to the concert. Instead, they attended the free picnic.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us," Mrs Birch told The National. "It's a piece of history. We come down for all the royal events. We loved watching the coronation yesterday."

Shakeela Ahmed and her niece Farah Mukhtar were also among the royal admirers who missed out on the concert.

Yet the women, originally from Pakistan, decided to go all-out for the royal occasion and donned Union Jack hijabs for the Big Lunch picnic.

Speaking to The National in the shadow of the castle, the two reminisced about being in the same spot in May 2018 to celebrate the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan.

"We were fasting for Ramadan but we still came to the celebrations," Shakeela said. "It was an amazing day.

"We even made it into Harry and Meghan's wedding book. There was a picture of us wearing Union Jack hijabs. It was seen as a symbol of multicultural Britain."

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Medicus AI

Started: 2016

Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh

Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai

Sector: Health Tech

Staff: 119

Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)

 

'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

Bullet%20Train
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Leitch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brad%20Pitt%2C%20Aaron%20Taylor-Johnson%2C%20Brian%20Tyree%20Henry%2C%20Sandra%20Bullock%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
%3Cp%3E6pm%3A%20Falling%20Shadow%3Cbr%3E6.35pm%3A%20Quality%20Boone%3Cbr%3E7.10pm%3A%20Al%20Dasim%3Cbr%3E7.45pm%3A%20Withering%3Cbr%3E8.20pm%3A%20Lazuli%3Cbr%3E8.55pm%3A%20Tiger%20Nation%3Cbr%3E9.30pm%3A%20Modern%20News%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJesse%20Armstrong%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brian%20Cox%2C%20Jeremy%20Strong%2C%20Kieran%20Culkin%2C%20Sarah%20Snook%2C%20Nicholas%20Braun%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TO%20CATCH%20A%20KILLER
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDamian%20Szifron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Ben%20Mendelsohn%2C%20Ralph%20Ineson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EElggo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20August%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Luma%20Makari%20and%20Mirna%20Mneimneh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Education%20technology%20%2F%20health%20technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Four%20employees%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
  • Drones
  • Animals
  • Fireworks/ flares
  • Radios or power banks
  • Laser pointers
  • Glass
  • Selfie sticks/ umbrellas
  • Sharp objects
  • Political flags or banners
  • Bikes, skateboards or scooters
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP

Group A

Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA

Group B

Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti

Group C

Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia

Group D

Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria

EVIL%20DEAD%20RISE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELee%20Cronin%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlyssa%20Sutherland%2C%20Morgan%20Davies%2C%20Lily%20Sullivan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How Sputnik V works
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

'O'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zeina%20Hashem%20Beck%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20112%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Penguin%20Books%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: May 08, 2023, 7:44 AM