John Lennon famously urged the occupants of the royal box to “rattle their jewelry” when the Beatles performed at the 1963 Royal Variety Show.
Sixty years later, Lionel Richie had to make no such request to get the royals on their feet at a special concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle Sunday night to celebrate the Coronation.
Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, Edward and Sophie were all keen to dance, while the younger generation, George and Charlotte, looked briefly mortified, but ultimately joined in. No word on whether Harry and Meghan were throwing shapes with Lilibet and Archie back in Montecito, but somehow, the Royalist doubts it.
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It was an evening heavy on cheese, spectacle and environmental messaging, kicking off with renowned DJ Pete Tong spinning a few tunes. He later said that the king had said he “wanted Ibiza classics, that was very specific.”
The presence of Hugh Bonneville, of Paddington fame, as compere, prompted hopes that the marmalade-loving bear might reprise his starring role from the Jubilee for the Coronation, but in the end it was not to be. There were however, video cameos from Winnie-the-Pooh, who saluted the king for his love of red squirrels being so intense that he let them into the house, and Tom Cruise, who was filmed flying a plane and saying, “Pilot to pilot, Your Majesty, you can be my wing man, any time,” before saluting and flying off.
There was another cameo from Miss Piggy and Kermit, who crashed the stage. While Miss Piggy propositioned Bonneville, Kermit sneaked into the royal box, where he appeared at the end dancing to Katy Perry’s “Roar” with everyone’s favorite royal fall guy, Prince Edward, who appears wonderfully impervious to all humiliations.
The sweetest moment of the night, however, was provided by Prince William, who praised his father’s environmental advocacy, a theme referenced repeatedly in a breathtaking drone display in the night sky.
“Pa, we are all so proud of you,” he said, and then, referring to his grandmother, he said, “I know she’s up there, fondly keeping an eye on us. She would be a proud mother.”
Tonight, it would have been churlish to doubt it.
