Ariana Grande is reportedly set to meet Prince Edward as the search continues for a pop star line-up to celebrate King Charles’ coronation.
The “Thank U, Next” singer, 29, is said to be in line to meet the monarch’s youngest brother this week when he tours the set of her upcoming film “Wicked”, after a series of big-name artists pulled out of performing at the concert on May 7, the day after Charles, 74, is crowned in London’s Westminster Abbey.
A film insider told “The Sun” on Tuesday: “Edward’s visit has been kept under wraps.
“He’d been invited as a guest of honour, and now he is going to actually meet some of the stars, including Ariana.”
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The source said Edward, 58, may “joke” about Grande joining the coronation concert.
But “The Sun” added “sources close to the star say she probably won’t”.
It emerged on Monday that Kylie Minogue has joined a growing list of stars unable to play the gig, as the “Can’t Get You Out of my Head” singer, 54, won’t be in Britain at the time of the event.
Adele and Ed Sheeran are also reportedly unable to perform at Charles’s coronation concert.
The “Hello” hitmaker, 34, has apparently turned down the invitation, and “The A-Team” singer, 32, is said to have a gig in America that will make it difficult for him to perform in the show at Windsor Castle.
Adele has nothing publicly scheduled for May 7, or after March 25 when her Las Vegas residency is set to end, but “The Sun” reported she is apparently “locked in to other commitments that will prevent her from attending”.
The Mail on Sunday added that sources close to Sheeran say organisers of the show have been told he is busy and unable to play at the Windsor Castle concert.
A source who the publication said was involved with planning the show said: “The king has suggested a number of people he would like to perform and Adele and Ed were on that list. He was very keen that they were part of the concert.
“There is a team set up to get the talent signed up but they were unavailable, which was a massive disappointment. They are titans of the showbiz industry and are quintessentially British but also known across the globe. It’s such a shame.”
Sheeran closed the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant in June 2022 with his hit “Perfect”, which was chosen as a tribute to the then monarch and her husband Prince Philip.
Charles is said to want Harry Styles, 29, to play the show, while Lionel Richie, 73, has reportedly agreed to open the concert, with the Spice Girls also said to be in negotiations to reunite for the event.