Prince William’s emotional tribute to ‘my father’ at coronation concert
It was a family affair.
During Sunday’s coronation concert at Windsor Castle, Prince William took to the stage to make a sweet tribute speech to his dad, King Charles, and also paid respects to his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Speaking out to a crowd of 20,000 people, Prince William, 40, began by honoring the late monarch, who died in September at the age of 96.
“As my grandmother said, when she was crowned, coronations are a declaration of our hopes for the future, and I know she’s up there fondly keeping an eye on us, and she’d be a very proud mother,” William said.
The prince then moved on to congratulating his 74-year-old father, who was officially crowned as King Charles III alongside Queen Camilla, 75, in a historic ceremony Saturday at Westminster Abbey.
In the speech, Prince William explained that his father had always had a passion for service.
“My father’s first words, on entering Westminster Abbey yesterday, were a pledge of service,” he said.
“It was a pledge to continue to serve, because for over 50 years, in every corner of the UK, across the Commonwealth, and around the world, he has dedicated himself to serve others, both current and future generations, and those whose memory must not be neglected.”
He used his father’s love for the environment as an example of that service, explaining that he had always been concerned about preserving the natural world before many others had started paying attention to it.
The proud son also boasted his dad’s support of different communities over the years.
“Perhaps, most importantly of all, my father’s always understood that people of all faiths, all backgrounds, and all communities deserve to be celebrated and supported.”
He wrapped up the emotional message by saying that he was not only proud of his father, but proud of the millions of U.K citizens who serve in their local communities, like military personnel and nurses.
“God save the King,” Prince William told the crowd before he ducked offstage.
However, it wasn’t all pomp and circumstance – the dad-of-three cracked a joke about performer Lionel Richie, 73, who had taken to the stage to sing “All Night Long” just moments before he did.
When Prince William introduced himself, he quipped, “But don’t worry, unlike Lionel, I won’t go all night long.”
Richie was just one of the many performers that took to the stage at the coronation concert, which marked a big celebration after yesterday’s formal events.
The “Endless Love” singer has known King Charles for quite sometime now, and is the Global Chairman of the Board of his Prince’s Trust.
He revealed last month that the royals had input about what she should sing.
“They gave suggestions,” Richie said. “I call them the royal suggestions. Of course, I say, ‘Oh my God, are you sure?’”
“Then, after saying ‘yes,’ I said, ‘I’m going to tell everybody,’ and they said, ‘You can’t tell anyone.’ So, it’s a secret, I can’t tell you. Boy, I wish I could tell you but all I can say to you it is going to be an evening fit for a royal occasion.”
Taking to big screen shortly after him was Katy Perry, who performed her hit 2013 song, “Roar.”
It was a relatively smooth performance, especially following the day that Perry had on Saturday, where she almost slipped and fell leaving the Westminster Chapel and couldn’t find her seat at the ceremony’s start.
The 38-year-old Perry also took selfies with fans, which is often seen as inappropriate.
However, she also garnered backlash for taking a picture of herself on Westminster Abbey’s memorial to Winston Churchill.
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