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 likewise 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 on the age of 96.
“As my grandmother said, when she was crowned, coronations are a declaration of our hopes for the longer term, and I do know she’s up there fondly keeping track of us, and she or he’d be a really 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.
Within the speech, Prince William explained that his father had all the time 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 proceed to serve, because for over 50 years, in every corner of the UK, across the Commonwealth, and around the globe, he has dedicated himself to serve others, each current and future generations, and people whose memory must not be neglected.”
He used his father’s love for the environment for instance of that service, explaining that he had all the time been concerned about preserving the natural world before many others had began being attentive to it.
The proud son also boasted his dad’s support of various communities over time.
“Perhaps, most significantly of all, my father’s all the time understood that folks of all faiths, all backgrounds, and all communities should be celebrated and supported.”
He wrapped up the emotional message by saying that he was not only pleased with his father, but pleased with the hundreds of thousands of U.K residents who serve of their local communities, like military personnel and nurses.
“God save the King,” Prince William told the group before he ducked offstage.
Nevertheless, 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 considered one of the numerous performers that took to the stage on the coronation concert, which marked a giant celebration after yesterday’s formal events.
The “Infinite 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. After all, I say, ‘Oh my God, are you sure?’”
“Then, after saying ‘yes,’ I said, ‘I’m going to inform everybody,’ they usually said, ‘You may’t tell anyone.’ So, it’s a secret, I can’t inform you. Boy, I wish I could inform you but all I can say to you it will be a night 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 comparatively 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 on the ceremony’s start.
The 38-year-old Perry also took selfies with fans, which is commonly seen as inappropriate.
Nevertheless, she also garnered backlash for taking an image of herself on Westminster Abbey’s memorial to Winston Churchill.
