Experts call performing at King Charles' coronation bad PR for artists

Several artists have turned down an invitation to perform at King Charles III's coronation concert at Windsor Castle on May 7, and experts in the music industry say it is because they do not want to be associated with the British monarchy.

Artists including Ed Sheeran, Adele, Elton John, Harry Styles, the Spice Girls, Kylie Minogue, and Robbie Williams were reportedly asked to perform but they declined. Some cited conflicts in their schedules as their reason.

Styles is in the middle of a global tour that does not reach the U.K. until May 22. John's representative said his tour dates in Germany are in conflict with the date of the coronation concert. Williams is also in the middle of a global tour and a spokesperson for Minogue said she would be "out of the country at that time."

Meanwhile, others have not shared their reasons for declining to perform. Adele reportedly "turned down the invitation without explanation" even though she is not scheduled to perform publicly after March 25. She recently told fans during her Las Vegas show that she is suffering from chronic back pain and sciatica.

But experts believe that these famous artists rejected the offer out of concern for their reputation and career. They allegedly do not want to be linked with the scandal-scarred monarchy.

Simon Jones, a publicist for Little Mix and former One Direction singers Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, told Rolling Stone, "The royal family has faced a number of PR disasters in recent times, and anyone performing at the show would have to consider whether there would be a backlash from appearing amongst their fans."

Meanwhile, Meg (full name withheld for privacy), the head of a leading British music PR company, said performing at King Charles III's coronation concert would not benefit these artists' careers at this time.

She explained, "These big symbolic associations carry a lot of weight and literally go down in history books in bold and underlined. I can understand why there'd be a big PR discussion around artists doing it or not."

Meg then compared King Charles III to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, and called her "fab and glamorous to some people." But as for His Majesty, she said he "doesn't add anything — there's not a legacy of his that anyone would want to align with."

She added of the coronation concert: "It's televised, so a lot of people will hear your songs, sure, but in terms of long-term PR strategy, I don't know if performing would add positively to an artist's narrative unless they were staunchly pro the monarchy."

But according to royal author Christopher Andersen, the public should not read too much into the rejections. He told Fox News, "People are reading way too much into what really amounts to scheduling conflicts. It's highly doubtful that anyone would turn down the invitation to perform at the coronation. It's a singular moment in history, and, frankly, just too massive a gig."

Royal expert Shannon Felton Spence agreed and explained, "King Charles has a ton of goodwill in the entertainment industry. The Prince's Trust supports performers and often engages celebrities in its work. Many musicians have a real affinity for the king, so I am confident this doesn't reflect anything other than scheduling conflicts."

King Charles III has yet to get other big stars to perform at his coronation concert. This leaves Lionel Richie and Take That as the rumoured headliners. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams suggested Rod Stewart and Stevie Wonder to the lineup given their performances at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee concert in June 2022 and the Diamond Jubilee, respectively.