Lionel Richie Reacts to King Charles and Queen Camilla's Surprise Cameo on 'American Idol' (Exclusive)

King Charles joined several stars in paying tribute to the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tina Turner, who passed away earlier this week.

King Charles III recently gave the world a glimpse at his comedic side, one that "American Idol" judge Lionel Richie knows all too well. Discussing his weekend at the coronation, Richie admitted the best part of the entire ordeal was being able to capture the comedic essence of King Charles and share it with the world. "I must be honest with you, I think 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,'" Richie told Extra.

King Charles is a “secret comedian” who has an “amazing sense of humour”, pop legend Lionel Richie has revealed. The singer, 73, added that “no one knows” how funny the 74-year-old monarch actually is. Lionel made the comments after appearing at King Charles’ Coronation concert at Windsor Castle earlier this month - which came the day after the Royal and his wife Queen Consort Camilla were officially crowned at Westminster Abbey.

As American Idol gets ready to crown its Season 21 winner, a star-studded cast has been lined up for the night of celebration set to take place on Sunday, May 21. The three-hour finale episode is set to air live from coast to coast starting at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.

King Charles is still clearly in high spirits from his Coronation weekend as he beamed while taking up his first role since officially being crowned.The 74-year-old was crowned as Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday in a televised event which was watched by over 20million people across the country. But it was back to work as usual on Tuesday as he met with academics and aviation leaders on a tour of the new facility at the Whittle Laboratory in Cambridge.The monarch was dressed smartly in light grey suit for his visit as he learnt about the laboratory, which aims to accelerate the path to zero carbon flight.

American Idol might be the last show we’d expect to share a synergy crossover with the coronation of the next British monarch, but here we are!

Viewers of "American Idol" were treated to a regal surprise Sunday evening in the form of two newly crowned royals while watching the latest live episode of the long-running competition show. Phoning in from across the pond and broadcasted on a big screen were judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, taking a night off from critiquing performances to give ones of their own. Both Perry and Richie were tapped to perform at King Charles' coronation concert.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s unexpected cameo during Sunday’s “American Idol” was almost as big a surprise for Ryan Seacrest as it was for everyone watching.

King Charles and Queen Camilla's Coronation concert yesterday evening was a star-studded occasion filled with incredible performances and comical appearances from The Muppets iconic characters.

The King and Queen appeared on American Idol as surprise guests amid the coronation celebrations.

American Idol welcomed royalty onto the show on Sunday evening, with King Charles and Queen Camilla making a surprise appearance alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Judges Katy, 38, and Lionel, 73, appeared via video link on American Idol as they missed this week's show due to performing at the Coronation Concert in the UK, and chatted to host Ryan Seacrest about the historic celebrations taking place in London.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla's unexpected cameo during Sunday's was almost as big a surprise for Ryan Seacrest as it was for everyone watching.Following Sunday's new episode of, Seacrest spoke with ET's Denny Directo, and explained how quickly the high-profile cameos came together.«I have to tell you, I was driving in and my phone rings and it's the executive producer and she says, 'Well, we've got some news,'» Seacrest shared. «I thought maybe something happened [with a contestant].

It’s a British invasion! King Charles III and Queen Camilla appeared on American Idol after Katy Perry and Lionel Richie played at the coronation concert on Sunday, May 7.

time from his coronation festivities to join Lionel Richie and Katy Perry for a surprise appearance on “American Idol” Sunday night.Charles and Queen Camilla casually strolled into the throne room at Buckingham Palace for a brief appearance with the two vocalists who had performed at the star-studded coronation concert on Saturday night.“I just wanted to check, how long will you be using this room for?” the 74-year-old monarch deadpanned after interrupting the live feed.The historic space has been used for extravagant balls dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria.The “All Night Long” singer feigned surprise at Charles’ query and told the panel in Los Angeles that he needed to make a quick exit.“We have to give the room up right away,” Richie, 73, joked.Charles then graciously thanked the two singers for their “brilliant performance” at the concert.Richie said that the duo would join the party after their television appearance and thanked the royals, who ambled out of the shot.Perry — who serves as an ambassador for the King’s British Asian Trust — belted out two of her classic hits, “Roar” and “Firework,” to Saturday’s massive crowd.She also gave a shout-out to King Charles III, praising him for “bringing out the firework in so many young people” through the work they’re doing together.Perry was joined by Richie, who also holds a role with a charity close to the King’s heart.The singer was named a global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in 2019 and snagged a coveted invitation to Saturday’s coronation thanks to his role.As previously reported, the current class of “Idol” contestants are in good hands while the judges visit the UK.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Lionel Richie and Katy Perry weren’t able to perform their normal tasks as judges on Sunday night’s “American Idol,” as they were across the pond performing for the coronation of King Charles III. So they brought back a souvenir for the show: The actual just-crowned King and Queen. King Charles III and Queen Camilla were surprise guests on “American Idol,” in a pre-taped package introduced at the start of the show by host Ryan Seacrest. The clip opens with Richie and Perry, in a room that appears to be inside Windsor Castle. Suddenly, in walks the King and Queen. “I just wanted to check, how much, how long you’ll be using this room for?” King Charles quipped to Richie. Charles then thanked Richie for attending and performing at the coronation. “Thank you so much for your brilliant performance and it was great,” he said.

 saw a newly crowned King Charles III and Queen Camilla give a royal surprise to audiences from across the pond with judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.Charles and Camila's surprise appearance on the long-running singing competition series came at the start of Sunday's show and just hours after both Perry and Richie performed at the king's coronation concert at Windsor Castle.Perry and Richie, who were broadcasting live from the castle for their address, were met by the new monarchs who jokingly asked how long they were planning to use the room for.Jokes aside, both Charles and Camilla thanked the singers for their «brilliant» performances and invited Perry and Richie to the concert's afterparty as soon as they wrap up their Idol duties.The coronation concert proved to be an exciting one for the judges, with Richie getting Charles up on his feet with his hits, «Easy (Like Sunday Morning)» and «All Night Long,» and Perry moving Princess Charlotte to sing along to «Roar,» before having the entire audience feeling like a «Firework.»Ahead of the special concert, Perry dished to ET about the opportunity to have a part to play in the festivities. «I'm grateful I get to go. 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,» Perry told ET last month. «So I'm also an ambassador for UNICEF, and it really aligned with my values.

The episode is set to air live on Sunday at at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m.

From London to Hollywood!

Katy Perry and Lionel Richie were absent from American Idol this week as they traveled to the U.K. to perform at the historic coronation of King Charles III.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla have arrived.