British superstars perform for King and Queen at Windsor coronation spectacular

The Prince of Wales paid a touching public tribute to his father, King Charles III, at the coronation concert


The King and Queen were welcomed with cheers by an audience of thousands at the star-studded coronation concert.

Host and Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville kicked off Sunday's show from a huge stage on the grounds of Windsor Castle, with 20,000 members of the public invited to the musical extravaganza.

The Prince of Wales paid a touching public tribute to his father at the coronation concert, saying: "Pa, we are all so proud of you."

Heir to throne William also made a sweet reference to his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II after taking to the stage, adding: "I know she's up there, fondly keeping an eye on us."

The coronation concert was held in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Credit: PA

He told his newly crowned father Charles: "She would be a very proud mother."

A host of global superstars came together at Windsor Castle for the event to mark the coronation.

The coronation concert - beamed onto large screens across the country - saw the Prince of Wales make a speech honouring his father, King Charles III, before performances by Katy Perry, Take That, Lionel Richie, and Nicole Scherzinger.

Stars including Hugh Jackman, Pierce Brosnan, Dame Joan Collins, Bear Grylls OBE, Alan Titchmarsh, and Sir Tom Jones gave pre-recorded video messages in honour of the King throughout the concert.

Nicole Scherzinger performing at the coronation concert. Credit: PA

Top Gun star Tom Cruise delivered a video message from his War Bird plane, saying: "Pilot to pilot. Your Majesty, you can be my wingman any time," before saluting and banking off.

Muppets stars Kermit and Miss Piggy also gave speeches, with the frog saying he was "honoured" to have been invited to the coronation.

At the same time, ten towns and cities across the country were treated to "spectacular" light displays, while 1,000 drones took to the sky for a UK-first "multi-location drone show".

The light display included the Welsh dragon, spanning 140m, beamed into the sky above Cardiff to the soundtrack of Paloma Faith singing Lullaby, while James Nesbitt performed a spoken word piece written by Daljit Nagra, chair of the Royal Society of Literature.

Hit makers including Katy Perry, who sang Roar and Firework, and Lionel Richie, who played renditions of Easy and All Night Long, entertained the 20,000-strong audience backed by a world-class 70-piece orchestra.

Take That then took to the stage with Greatest Day, Shine and, to close the show, Never Forget, featuring an intro from The Choristers of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

The 300-strong Coronation Choir, conducted by Gareth Malone, performed an uplifting version of the Emeli Sande song Brighter Days, while Steve Winwood sang his hit song Higher Love, accompanied by the Commonwealth virtual choir, with singers from more than 40 Commonwealth countries.

The evening also saw a collaboration between five Royal patronages - The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal College of Music and The Royal College of Art - who came together for the first time to perform Somewhere from West Side Story.

Other collaborations included Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel, who sang You'll Never Walk Alone, and Lang Lang and Nicole Scherzinger, who performed Reflection from Mulan.


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