Lionel Richie reveals King Charles’ ‘secret’ talent

The singer recently performed at the Coronation Concert

Lionel Richie has opened up about performing at the Coronation Concert in front of the newly crowned King Charles III and Queen Camilla earlier this month.

The “All Night Long” singer, who has now returned to judging on American Idol alongside Katy Perry, described the monarch as a “secret comedian” with an “amazing sense of humour”.

He also shared his highlights from his time in London, which included asking the King to make a cameo on American Idol the day after the concert.

To the delight of royal fans, Charles and Camilla made a surprise appearance on the long-standing singing contest, with the King cracking a joke about needing the room back.

Richie told Extra: “I think the highlight for me was that I actually walked up to the King the day after the coronation and said, ‘Would you like to be on American Idol?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’

“And the second thing that was the highlight was he said, ‘Alright if I bring the Queen?’ Uh, yeah.”

The 73-year-old continued: “I’ve known the King quite a long time. He does have this amazing sense of humour that no one knows about. He’s a secret comedian, I’ll put that out there.

“For him to actually take the step and go out of the comfort zone – that was actually his comfort zone, he was hamming it up… It’s so good for the world to know.”

Britain Coronation Concert (2023 Getty Images)

The coronation of Charles and Camilla took place on Saturday 6 May, with the Coronation Concert held on Sunday 7 May in front of Windsor Castle.

Perry, also a judge on American Idol, headlined the show alongside Richie and Take That. A host of other artists also took to the stage that night, including Olly Murs, Nicole Scherzinger, Lang Lang, and Tiwa Savage.

There was also a special appearance by Muppets stars Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, who met up with host Hugh Bonneville.

The Independent described the concert as a “bizarre musical confection” and gave it four out of five stars.