Thousands danced and waved their flags underneath Windsor Castle in the first concert ever held in the grounds to celebrate King Charles’s coronation.
Stars including Katy Perry, who sang Roar and Firework, and Lionel Richie, who played Easy and All Night Long, entertained the 20,000-strong audience, including the royal family, and millions at home on Sunday. Take That provided a rousing finale, drawing the night to a close with Never Forget, featuring an intro from the choristers of Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
The crowd in the arena were certainly in the mood to party, waving their union jacks and their light-up wristbands any chance they could.
Even the royal box, including King Charles and Camilla, got to their feet for Richie’s set, which delighted the crowd. In fact some spent most of the night facing away from the stage and watching the action in the royal box instead.
After Richie, the Prince of Wales appeared on stage to speak and joked he wouldn’t be up there “all night long” before going on to describe how his grandmother, the late Queen, would be a “proud mother” on King Charles’s coronation weekend, saying he was sure she is “fondly keeping an eye on us”.
“Pa, we are all so proud of you,” he continued looking up at the royal box, before ending his speech with: “God save the King!”
The national anthem followed and the flag-waving went into overdrive.
The event also included a drone light show with displays that twisted into butterflies, a blue whale, a rabbit’s face and an owl. This was accompanied by a rendition of the Simple Minds song Don’t You (Forget About Me) and followed a speech by Stella McCartney, which paid tribute to the king’s commitment to conservation and the environment.
Most of those who attended had won their tickets in a ballot.
Earlier, the self-professed queens of Windsor, sisters Avril Appleyard and Rosie Scott and their friend Fay Denwood, were enjoying prosecco and the festival vibes in the food and drink area before heading to enjoy the festivities.
Appleyard said: “We have lived through every royal event that’s taken place in Windsor but we were shocked to get tickets through the ballot. It was like winning the golden ticket at Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.”
Scott said: “Being locals we are just so happy to be here inside the grounds in a part we haven’t been to and we have met people from all over the country.”
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Denwood also couldn’t believe she managed to get tickets. “Everyone I know is so jealous!” she said.
Not everyone entered a ballot though. Hannah Tice, from near Winchester, was invited to come to celebrate her services to the community. She supports children and young people experiencing adversity.
“It was a huge honour and privilege to be invited and also very overwhelming. It came as a complete surprise. I was given a plus one and my sister is a huge royalist so it was extremely obvious and natural to bring her with me,” Hannah said.
Her younger sister Louisa was on the Mall on Saturday for the coronation procession. “It was soggy and so I can’t believe the difference today. The weather is amazing today. But even with the rain, it was so good. I had such a great day. I was really lucky and managed to see a lot.”
Effie Blankson was nominated by her friend Belinda Ashong for her services to the community in Basingstoke, in particular for her work with tackling racism and cancer.
It felt amazing to be nominated, she said, adding with a laugh: “But I wasn’t surprised because I think I deserve it!”
Belinda added: “I don’t know where she finds the time to do everything she does in the community to be honest. I think she does a lot and I thought she deserved to be here. So I put forward her name to see if she would be recognised. And she was. And that’s why we are here.”
