King Charles III speaks to Lionel Richie and Lisa Parigi during the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation. Photo / Getty Images
King Charles III speaks to Lionel Richie and Lisa Parigi during the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation. Photo / Getty Images
As the Palace prepares for King Charles’ coronation, stars and important figures from all around the world are starting to arrive including A-list singer Lionel Richie.
Seen attending King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla’s first-ever garden party, were thousands of well-dressed guests and among them was Richie and his girlfriend, Lisa Parigi.
Captured on camera sharing a friendly exchange with the monarchs, the Daily Mail’s royal editor, Rebecca English posted the short clip to Twitter, captioning the post, “what a lovely afternoon at Buckingham Palace for the first garden party of the season – also HM The King’s first as monarch.
What a lovely afternoon at Buckingham Palace for the first garden party of the season - also HM The King’s first as monarch. He chatted happily with @LionelRichie and Lisa Parigi. The charming singer declared playing at this week’s #CoronationConcert was ‘the best thing ever’ pic.twitter.com/BBYgeKx66J
“He chatted happily with Lionel Richie and Lisa Parigi. The charming singer declared playing at this week’s Coronation Concert was ‘the best thing ever’.”
The video also captured the singer telling Charles “Such a great party, thank you very much for having us here,” with the King’s response unable to be heard however it sparked a hearty laugh from Richie and his girlfriend.
The singer later spoke to English telling her the concert was one of the most momentous events in his career adding, “In your career, there are Oscars and then there are Grammys and then there’s a Coronation... are you kidding me?! This doesn’t happen every day, so am I excited about this? Absolutely! This is going to be the best thing ever!’ he said.
Lionel Richie was seen laughing with the King. Photo / Twitter
He also revealed to the Daily Mail journalist that he had received an invitation to the official coronation ceremony and compared it to being a kid at Christmas.
“I’ll be there. I mean pinch me somebody. I am really trying to be calm. I’m a kid at Christmastime. And to have the relationship I have with King Charles is just wonderful,” he said.
The Royal family host an annual summer garden party – a tradition dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria – where they invite guests to the grounds of their official London residence. Attendees are given the chance to mingle, explore Palace grounds and enjoy a light afternoon tea.
Queen Consort Camilla briefly chatted to Lionel Richie and his girlfriend. Photo / Twitter
The party was not hosted in 2020 or 2021 and when it returned in 2022 however Queen Elizabeth did not attend.
Also at this year’s garden party were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Charles’ official coronation will take place on May 6, however the historical tradition and pageantry lasts for multiple days.
In the days that follow the two to three-hour coronation event – which Kiwis will be able to watch on May 6 at 10pm NZ time on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+ - there will be a series of scheduled events, including the Big Lunch and the Big Help Out.
