Taylor Swift was among the many stars who turned down the chance to perform at King Charles’ coronation concert, according to royal commentator Omid Scobie.
These ‘shrug-offs’ as the reporter claims is a strong indicator that Charles does not have a strong relationship with the public unlike his late mother Queen Elizabeth II.
Within the large amount of tension in the House of Windsor, which is still divided with the Duke and Duchess from the royal family, many have been keeping a watchful eye.
Scobie told The Independent: “I don’t think that this is the end of the monarchy, but I do think we’ve reached a pivotal moment where it’s perhaps the end of the monarchy as we know it.”
The new controversial book claims to shed light into the Royal family’s life up until the Queen’s death. Details include Princess Kate’s relationship with Meghan, the rift between King Charles and heir to the throne, Prince William, and even Princess Anne’s reported part in having the Sussexes evicted from Frogmore Cottage.
In one section, he suggests that the new king “just doesn’t have the requisite gravitas” to drum up public – and celebrity – support, adding that his coronation concert at Windsor Castle ultimately “proved a challenge for the organizers” because of the “long” list of acts who turned down the opportunity to perform at the show.
“With the country facing economic crises at home and reputational bruising abroad, large sections of the public are increasingly less tolerant of royal extravagance and family dramas,” Scobie writes.
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“Even finding entertainment for [King Charles’s] coronation court at Windsor Castle proved a challenge for the organisers. The list of acts who declined the invitation to perform was long and included Sir Elton John, Harry Styles, the Spice Girls, Adele, Taylor Swift, and Ed Sheeran.
“Contrast that with the line-up for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: Queen (with Adam Lambert), Alicia Keys, Sir Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, and, more than happy to clear his schedule for Her Majesty, even Sir Elton,” he continues.
At the time of the coronation concert on May 6th, Swift, 33, was in Nashville, Tennesee, for her Eras Tour shows.
Scobie notes that while these refusals “may seem frivolous”, they are also a sign of “something deeper at work”.
“Charles just doesn’t have the requisite gravitas, which is understandable, given he’s spent a majority of his life in the wake of the grand-class cruise ship of his mother’s reputation,” he adds. “In fact, positive opinion of the royal family in the United Kingdom dropped from 68 per cent to 54 per cent within four months of the Queen’s death.
“In our era of celebrity obsession and pop culture icons, if Elton and Harry Styles can’t be bothered, why should we be?”
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The stars that ultimately performed at the concert included Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench.
