Brian May on the roof of Buckingham Palace, guitar aloft. Tom Jones and Blue duetting to “You Can Leave Your Hat On”. A guest appearance from Kermit the Frog. A finale that saw Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne and… Atomic Kitten, all together on stage. This was the miscellany of acts that, on 3 June, 2002, were gathered at Queen Elizabeth II’s official London residence for Party at the Palace. The televised extravaganza marked 50 years since her accession to the throne – and provided the blueprint for royal pop concerts going forward.
The formula? Throw in some golden oldies (McCartney doing a Beatles medley and Shirley Bassey blasting out a Bond theme) alongside some solid, family-friendly pop fixtures and the odd wildcard. Since then, these showcases have only become more head-spinningly eclectic. In The Independent’s four-star review of 2022’s Platinum Party at the Palace (where Rod Stewart covered “Sweet Caroline” and Diversity danced their way through the history of British music), Mark Beaumont hailed the event as “one of the most bizarre and unrelenting barrages of random entertainment ever staged”. During King Charles’ coronation weekend, one of the biggest events will be a concert featuring the likes of Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Take That, plus the Royal Shakespeare Company and incoming Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa, performing excerpts from the Bard.
