King Charles III invited musicians to perform at his coronation concert at Windsor Castle on May 7 including Taylor Swift, who according to royal author Omid Scobie, turned down the offer.
The biographer made the claim in his new book titled "Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival" which comes out on November 28. He did not elaborate on the singer's decision.
But Swift could have declined because she was in the middle of her Eras Tour in the United States. According to the Daily Mail, she performed multiple dates at Nashville's Nissan Stadium from May 5 to May 7.
The "Cruel Summer" hitmaker was not the only big name invited to perform but declined. Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, the Spice Girls, Adele, Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams were among the acts who reportedly refused invitations to put on a show for the new monarch.
Minogue was "out of the country at that time" while John, Styles and Williams reasoned scheduling conflicts with the coronation concert. Williams and the former One Direction singer were in the middle of a global tour while John's representative said his tour dates in Germany conflicted with the concert.
Others did not share their reasons for passing on the offer. Adele reportedly "turned down the invitation without explanation" although she was not scheduled to perform publicly after March 25. She could have taken the time to rest after she told fans during her Las Vegas show that she was suffering from chronic back pain and sciatica.
Royal experts at that time claimed that these artists declined to perform at King Charles III's coronation concert out of concern for their reputation and career. They allegedly did not want to be associated with a scandal-scarred monarchy.
"The royal family has faced a number of PR disasters in recent times, and anyone performing at the show would have to consider whether there would be a backlash from appearing amongst their fans," said Simon Jones, a publicist for Little Mix and former One Direction singers Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
We have a very special greeting from across the pond!
— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) May 8, 2023
It's 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐈𝐈 with @katyperry & @LionelRichie! 👑#Coronation x #IDOL pic.twitter.com/MUJJ5MVVz3
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli and Take That were among those who performed at King Charles III's coronation concert. The "American Idol" judges even filmed a quick comedic sketch with His Majesty and Queen Camilla for the show.
"You know you always think you know someone but you never assume. But I've known the King quite a long time," Richie said when asked how he convinced King Charles III to cameo. He said the monarch has "this amazing sense of humour that no one knows about" and called him a "secret comedian".
