Celebs snub King Charles: Why the King is struggling to get a performer for his coronation

King Charles III is struggling to find a performer for his upcoming coronation, with the likes of Elton John, Adele, and Harry Styles reportedly declining to do the honour.

According to Rolling Stone, the May event’s invitations to perform have also been turned down by the likes of The Spice Girls and Robbie Williams, among other artists.

Harry Styles, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Robbie Williams and Spice Girls have reportedly all declined to perform at King Charles III’s coronation. pic.twitter.com/pJKpQsOuY1

— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 26, 2023

While Elton John’s representatives confirmed the singer had declined due to scheduling conflicts, the majority of artists have remained silent on why they refused the offer.

Despite the lack of explanations, royal experts have weighed in saying they believe it’s likely due to the number of “PR disasters” befalling the royal family of late.

“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,” publicist Simon Jones said.

Publicists are taking the belief that for today’s modern artists, aligning themselves with the King would be damaging to their public image and career.

“For them right now, storytelling is really important,” one rep said.

“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.

“With [Queen Elizabeth II], she was fab and glamorous to some people. Charles doesn’t add anything – there’s not a legacy of his that anyone would want to align with. 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.”

The “PR disasters” publicists are citing refer to the recent onslaught of media attention the entire Royal Family has received following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent tell-all documentary and Harry’s newly released memoir, Spare.

Since taking the throne in September 2022, the King has been confronted by protesters on three occasions, including an individual being arrested for throwing eggs at the King and the Queen Consort.

A small group of anti-Royalists have also turned up with “Not My King” banners amongst the otherwise pro-crowd; however it’s all good natured for the time being #HeartNews pic.twitter.com/SXSz4kJSxE

— Heart News East (@HeartNewsEast) February 16, 2023

Most recently, the King was met by a boisterous crowd of protesters at an engagement in the northwest of London on Thursday, shouting and holding signs that read “Not My King”.