Lionel Richie said King Charles III called him to perform at Coronation Concert

Lionel Richie shared his excitement at his upcoming performance at King Charles III's Coronation Concert although he cannot reveal much about it as he is sworn to royal secrecy.

The 73-year-old said he is "walking in history" when asked about the invitation to perform at the momentous occasion in an interview with Extra. The event will be broadcasted live from the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 7, a day after the monarch and Queen Consort Camilla are crowned in London's Westminster Abbey on May 6.

Speaking about the invite, Richie shared that he has known King Charles III "for a while." The "All Night Long" singer served as the first Global Ambassador and Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group in 2019 for The Prince's Trust, the charity the monarch established in 1976.

He revealed that he personally got the call from the monarch saying, "You never think [that will] translate into a tight 1,800 that will be present, and he calls and says, 'I want you there.' The answer is, 'I'm there. I'm there.' I'm walking in history."

The "American Idol" judge called it "a moment that he gets to shine." He also shared his happiness for King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. When asked about what he will perform at the Coronation Concert, Richie is tight-lipped saying that he "can't say a word" as "it's a royal secret."

"They told me, 'Don't reveal.' But I would tell everybody if I could... I am trying my best to contain myself, but it's going to be one in a million times in history to be part of something like this," he shared.

In an interview with People earlier this month, Richie said the Coronation Concert will be "the grandiose of the grandiose" and that he is ready to "see all the lights" and "the pomp and circumstance."

"... 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," he said.

As for getting the invite to perform, Richie admitted, "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. [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."

The singer has since expressed his excitement to perform since his name was announced in April. He called it a "once-in-a-lifetime event" and an "honour and a celebration" to "share the stage with the other performers at The Coronation Concert."

Aside from Richie, his fellow "American Idol" judge Katy Perry has also been invited to perform at King Charles III's Coronation Concert. They will join other A-list names including opera star Andrea Bocelli, singer/songwriter Freya Ridings, classical-soul composer/pianist Alexis Ffrench, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, and British pop group Take That.

They will perform in front of 20,000 members of the public and invited guests, as well as millions watching and listening at home. Like Richie, Perry was also mum about the songs she will perform at King Charles III's Coronation Concert when asked in a recent interview. But she is thankful to have been invited and is grateful that she has the songs that will support the monarch and Queen Consort Camilla because "it's all about the songs at the end of the day." She also shared her plans to attend the event and represent herself as an ambassador and "just to bring the light and the love."