When British royalty and pop royalty collide!
Katy Perry and Lionel Richie were among the superstar artists who performed for King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the king’s coronation concert on May 7 — and the royal couple apparently loved the show so much, they tracked Perry and Richie down to congratulate them personally.
Perry, 38, and Richie, 73, were beaming into the “American Idol” studio via video link from Windsor Castle, where the "Idol" judges had performed for a crowd of 20,000 people.
“Now, we’re trying to figure out what can we do to bring something different to the show,” Richie said. “So, I would like to …”
Then he looked flustered as he saw something off camera, and said, “Katy, excuse me, I have a surprise.”
Cue the arrival of Charles and Camilla, who came to stand between Perry and Richie in the opulent room.
“I just wanted to check how long you’ll be using this room for?” the king quipped.
“We have to give the room up right away!” Richie joked.
Charles then thanked both singers for their “brilliant performance,” and the queen agreed it was “absolutely fantastic.”
“It was wonderful, it really was, it’s great to have you both here,” Charles said.
Perry curtsied to the king and queen a few times, and at one point she asked Camilla on the side, “Are we making too much noise?”
The queen’s response was muffled but she appeared to tell Perry with a smile, “Loved your frock.”
Richie also mentioned the “party” the royal couple were throwing “next door.”
“That’s right,” Charles said. “Had we not better take you to the party? But you’re busy with all these other things.”
“Well, as soon as we finish, we’re coming to the party,” Richie assured him.
Perry and Richie both shared footage of the royal surprise on Instagram.
“£100 to whoever had this on their 2023 #idol bingo card,” Perry captioned the moment.
The “Smile” singer sported a dramatic gold Vivienne Westwood dress as she performed two of her biggest hits, “Roar” and “Firework,” at the coronation concert on the lawn of Windsor Castle.
And Richie wore a glittery white jacket as he performed his classic hit “All Night Long” and “Easy” by the Commodores.
Both singers already have connections to the royal family through their charitable work.
Since 2019, Richie has served as global ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, an organization founded by the former Prince Charles that helps youth in the United Kingdom and around the world.
Perry, meanwhile, was appointed by Prince Charles, now King Charles, as an ambassador for the British Asian Trust in 2020.