Taylor Swift loves a London boy, but not a London coronation — at least not one that interferes with her Eras Tour.
In his new book, Endgame, royal expert Omid Scobie claims that Swift, 33, turned down an offer to perform at King Charles III’s coronation, which took place in May. Scobie noted that plenty of other musicians also declined invitations to perform, to the point that it was “a challenge” for organizers to find artists for the event.
Scobie’s book doesn’t specify why Swift said no, but she was well into her Eras Tour by the time Charles, 75, was officially crowned king. The coronation took place on May 6, which coincided with Swift’s second night of three concerts in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the months leading up to Charles’ coronation, reports circulated that many other artists — including Harry Styles, Adele, Robbie Williams and the Spice Girls — turned down offers to play for the British royal family. Those artists never commented on the speculation, but a rep for Elton John confirmed that the “Rocket Man” singer, 76, was offered the gig and turned it down because of scheduling issues.
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Charles technically became king in September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, but he was not formally crowned until May. Despite reports about the difficulty of scheduling performers for the event, plenty of famous names turned up to sing at the coronation concert, including Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli and Take That.
Taylor Swift. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netfilx
“I’m grateful I get to go,” Perry, 39, told Entertainment Tonight in April. “I met His-Majesty-to-be a few years ago, and he named me as one of the ambassadors to his organization, The British Asian Trust, which is an organization that helps fight to end child trafficking. So, I’m also an ambassador for UNICEF, and it really aligned with my values. That’s mostly why I’m going, to be an ambassador and to say, ‘Hey, this is me from the USA.’ No, but it’s so cool.”
Richie, meanwhile, admitted he was trying to keep his cool about the whole scenario. “I’m really trying to be, ‘This is a calm moment for me.’ I’m so excited,” Richie, 74, told Sky News in May. “I’m like a kid at Christmas time!”
While Swift wasn’t in attendance at the coronation, royalty came to her earlier this year when she took her Eras Tour to Los Angeles. Meghan Markle attended Swift’s August 8 concert at SoFi Stadium, although she went without her husband, Prince Harry. Us Weekly confirmed at the time that the Duke of Sussex, 39, was away in Asia on a business trip.
Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival hits shelves on Tuesday, November 28.