On Friday, the BBC announced the lineup for the event taking place on Sunday, May 7 — one day after Charles, 47, and Queen Camilla are crowned the UK’s new sovereigns following Queen Elizabeth II’s September 2022 death.
Perry, 38, Richie, 73, and Bocelli, 64, are among the brightest stars on the roster, which also includes British pop group Take That, as well as Sir Bryn Terfel, Freya Ridings and Alexis Ffrench.
“The concert will celebrate a new chapter in the nation’s history, with themes of love, respect and optimism, celebrating the four nations, their communities and the Commonwealth,” the BBC said of the coronation celebration in a statement.
But the Mail on Sunday said singer Kylie Minogue had refused given increased republican sentiment in her native Australia, where Charles is also king.
Some 20,000 members of the public and invited guests are set to attend in person, with the live event also broadcast on radio and online.
Other confirmed performers in the lineup include opera star Bryn Terfel, the singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and composer-producer Alexis Ffrench.
“I am excited to be performing at the Coronation Concert, and helping to shine a further light on the British Asian Trust’s Children’s Protection Fund, whose work includes on-ground initiatives to fundraising, with the aim to find solutions to child trafficking,” Perry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Richie was appointed as the first global ambassador and first chairman of the Global Ambassador Group for the Prince’s Trust in 2019. Charles founded the organization in 1976 to benefit disadvantaged youth.
BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said the coronation was a “once-in-a-generation occasion” and called the concert line-up “world class”.
But recent reports have said that a number of big-name stars have turned down the gig, including Adele, Elton John, Harry Styles and the Spice Girls.
They are said to have declined because of scheduling clashes or touring commitments.
Perry — who performed for US President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 — as well as Take That and Richie all have links to Charles’s charitable foundations.
Richie, who at 73 is just a year younger than the king, said the concert would be an “honour and a celebration”.
Bocelli has previously performed for Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September last year aged 96.
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