Lionel Richie meets King Charles at Buckingham Palace ahead of coronation

Lionel Richie meets King Charles at Buckingham Palace ahead of coronation

Lionel Richie, the Alabama-born singer and “American Idol” judge, got some facetime with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace ahead of Saturday’s coronation.

Richie is among the headliners announced for the Coronation Concert, set for May 7 on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Other performers include his “Idol” colleague Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli, British pop group Take That, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and classical-soul musician Alexis Ffrench.

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About 20,000 members of the public and invited guests are expected to attend the concert on Sunday, BBC Studios said in a press release. The artists will be backed by a 70-piece orchestra and a house band. A Coronation Choir — a group composed of U.K. community choirs and amateur singers — also is scheduled to perform. Their segment, called “Lighting up the Nation,” will include projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations.

Richie has a connection to King Charles via the monarchy’s charitable organizations. The veteran pop & R&B star was appointed as the Prince’s Trust’s first Global Ambassador and Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group in 2019. “To share the stage with the other performers at the Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honor and a celebration,” Richie said in a statement.

Richie posted photos from Buckingham Palace this week, writing that he and King Charles III “continued the conversation about – The Prince’s Trust, which is empowering young people to transform their lives through education, training, and support. The Trust helps thousands of young people every day who are facing tremendous hardships. To date, we have supported over 1 million young people around the globe.”

Decked out in a snazzy navy coat with tails, a royal blue vest, yellow tie and top hat, the Tuskegee native was joined by girlfriend Lisa Parigi and appeared to have a jovial engagement with King Charles III. The coronation, the first in Great Britain in 70 years, will mark King Charles III’s transition from Prince of Wales into king of the United Kingdom. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died last September. The Coronation Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Coronation Concert will be televised live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds will broadcast the concert, as well.

Mary Colurso contributed to this story.