Lionel Richie Honored To Be Among Performers At King Charles' Coronation

Lionel Richie is excited to perform at King Charles III's coronation concert next month.

The "Stuck on You" singer, 73, got candid Saturday about what it means to him to be among the artists to be featured at King Charles' upcoming coronation concert, revealing that it is both a "surprise" and an "honor."

"I mean, you don't get in the business and say, 'You know what? I'll be at the King's coronation.' You know, that just never comes up," Richie told People during an interview at the Breakthrough Awards at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. "[It's] A, a surprise. B, what an honor. And C, the fact of all the names that are out there that he could have had for this, he called my name."

Richie revealed that he has known the 74-year-old monarch "for a long time" and is happy that King Charles is "now stepping into the king role."

"He's been in that prince role for a long time, but I'm anxious to see what he's going to now change as far as his reign. And so I know him as a wonderful person," the "American Idol" judge added.

When asked what he is looking forward to the most at the May event, the singer said he's ready "to see all the lights."

"Come on. Are you kidding me?" Richie said. "I want to see the pomp and circumstance because I don't care what you thought Michael Jackson did. I don't care what you thought Prince did. I don't care what you thought Madonna did. Nothing's going to be like this. This is the grandiose of grandiose right here."

Richie, Katy Perry and English pop group Take That were among the first names to be announced for King Charles' coronation concert, which will be held on the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 7, with an expected audience of over 20,000 people, according to the BBC.

Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel and Freya Ridings are also set to perform.

Richie, who was the first global ambassador of The Prince's Trust charity, said in a statement to the BBC that he considers the coronation concert a "once-in-a-lifetime event" and an "honor and celebration."

Perry, who was appointed by King Charles in 2020 as an ambassador to the British Asian Trust, is also "excited" about performing at the event, according to a statement obtained by the outlet.

The "Roar" hitmaker also said that she is looking forward to "helping to shine a further light" on the trust's children's protection fund, which raises money for causes including finding solutions to child trafficking."

King Charles and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, will be crowned on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London.