Adele and Ed Sheeran Decline King Charles’ Invitation to Perform at Coronation

(Image credit: Getty)

published 19 February 2023

When it came time to begin planning King Charles’ Coronation on May 6—and the concert that will accompany the festive weekend the next day, May 7—Charles apparently had two singers at the top of his must have list: Adele and Ed Sheeran. According to an organizer of the event, “the King has suggested a number of people he would like to perform, and Adele and Ed were on that list. He was very keen that they were part of the concert.”

It seems the King will be let down, because, according to OK, both have declined the invitation to perform at the concert. Sheeran had a plausible explanation: He will be performing in Texas the day before the Coronation concert, making it difficult to squeeze it all in. But Adele, according to the outlet, “turned down the invitation without explanation.” Not only does she not have a scheduling conflict for May 7, but she is not scheduled to perform publicly after March 25.

“There is a team set up to get the talent signed up, so they approached the two of them, but got replies saying that they were unavailable, which was a massive disappointment,” the source says. “They are titans of the showbiz industry and are quintessentially British, but also known across the globe. It’s such a shame.”

Though the Coronation concert performers aren’t confirmed as of today, OK reports that Lionel Richie and the Spice Girls are likely to be there, and rumors are also swirling that Harry Styles might also take the stage.

And speaking of who is coming and who isn’t—multiple outlets report that there is still no RSVP either way from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The Daily Mail reports that the couple are still undecided, and before leaving the U.S. for the event, Harry wants a meeting with his father and brother Prince William. RSVPs are apparently due by the beginning of April, so the Sussexes have about six weeks to make up their minds.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.