If King Charles ever tires of being monarch, it seems he’s got a back-up career as a stand-up comic – according to Lionel Richie, anyway.
The All Night Long singer, who played at the King’s Coronation Concert earlier this month, has claimed Charles is somewhat of a “secret comedian”.
Lionel managed to persuade the King and Queen Camilla to make a cameo appearance on last week’s American Idol, and has claimed it was very much in ”[Charles’] comfort zone”.
Speaking to Extra, Lionel said “I’ve known the King quite a long time. He does have this amazing sense of humour that no one knows about.
“He’s a secret comedian... For him to actually take the step and go out of the comfort zone — which was actually his comfort zone — he was hamming it up.”
Lionel went on to reveal that Charles and Camilla’s surprise appearance on the US talent show – on which Lionel is a judge alongside fellow Coronation Concert performer Katy Perry – came together relatively quickly after last Saturday’s events.
He said: “The highlight for me was that I actually walked up to the King the day after the coronation and said, ’Would you like to be on American Idol and he said, ‘Yeah.’
“And the second thing that was the highlight was he said, ‘Alright if I bring the Queen?’ ‘Uh, yeah.’”
Lionel called the royal couple “amazing”, adding: “On top of that, they are putting so much good out in the world with the Prince’s Trust.”
The King and Queen’s cameo came after Lionel and Katy had to miss shooting American Idol due to being in the UK for the concert, and called into the show via video link from Windsor Castle.