King Charles III was quick to crack a joke on Lionel Richie.
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The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer appeared across the pond to perform during King Charles III’s coronation in early May. Following the royal affair, Richie and Katy Perry took center stage at Windsor Castle to serenade the newly crowned monarch.
The historic affair forced Richie and Perry to skip out on an American Idol episode, but Richie told Extra that the hit competition show came up in conversation with King Charles III.
“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,'” Richie told the outlet ahead of the Season 21 semi-finals. “And the second thing that was the highlight was he said, all right if I bring the Queen?’ ‘Uh, yeah.'”
Richie said it was easy to convince the royals to participate in the comedy sketch streamed live (May 7) from the historic landmark, which was also incorporated into the hit ABC show.
The hitmaker said it was bold to ask the King for the favor.
“You always think you know someone, but you never assume,” he shared. “I’ve known the King quite a long time. He does have this amazing sense of humor that no one knows about. He’s a secret comedian, I’ll put that out there.”
The platinum-selling artist was thrilled that the world got to see that side of King Charles III.
“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,” Richie pointed out. “It’s so good for the world to know.”
During the once-in-a-lifetime concert, Richie performed his hit “Easy” and brought members of the Royal family to their feet during his timeless tune “All Night Long.” According to NBC, 8-year-old Princess Charlotte and Prince George, 9, waved Union flags during the song.
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, sang along to Perry’s No.1 track “Roar” before the pop star dedicated her spectacular rendition of “Firework” to the King.
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for dcp
