King Charles & Queen Camilla Appeared On 'American Idol' & People Are Calling It 'Cringey'
King Charles III and Queen Camilla made a surprise appearance on American Idol following the coronation concert on Sunday.
The royals joined Katy Perry and Lionel Richie in a virtual appearance from Windsor Castle and people online are blasting the cameo as both "awkward" and "cringey."
"Surprise! Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla join @lionelrichie and @katyperry from Windsor Castle! 👑," read the caption on a video posted on the American Idol Instagram page.
Perry and Richie are judges on American Idol and had to miss Sunday's show for the coronation concert.
However, they did join virtually.
In the clip, Perry and Richie are speaking to American Idol host Ryan Seacrest about the "incredible party" when Richie says they were thinking about something different they could bring to the show.
"Katy, excuse me. I have a surprise," Richie says as Charles and Camilla walk into the frame and Perry curtsies.
The king references Richie's song All Night Long before asking the musicians if they were almost done.
"I just wanted to check, how long you will be using this room for?" King Charles asked as the audience laughs, and Richie notes they have to "give the room up right away."
"Thank you so much for your brilliant performance, and Katy, it was wonderful," the king then says to Richie and Perry as Camilla joins in with the praise.
They continue to joke about the "party next door" and Perry and Richie saying they will head over as soon as they're done with American Idol.
Many people who watched the clip were unimpressed with the surprise appearance and called it "embarrassing" and "awkward."
One person noted it was "desperate" and "cringe."
\u201cDid they think we wouldn\u2019t see this?!\nIn return for Katy Perry & Lionel Richie agreeing to perform at the coronation concert, Charles & Camilla had to do a turn on American Idol.\n\nDesperate stuff. Cringe me a river \ud83d\ude2c\ud83d\ude2c\ud83d\ude02\n\n#Coronation #notmykingorqueen \n\n\u201d— Snow (@Snow) 1683528594
Another Twitter user said the American Idol bit was "tacky" and "just sad."
\u201cHow do you spend 250 million pounds on a coronation and make all of it look tacky. American idol? That\u2019s just sad. #Coronation\u201d— Anastasia \ud83d\udc95 (@Anastasia \ud83d\udc95) 1683528993
Others called out the double standard and compared the media coverage of the king and queen's appearance on American Idol versus anything Prince Harry and Meghan Markle do.
\u201cA Masterclass in double standards: \n\nthe very newly crowned King Charles and Camilla doing a gig on American Idol - \n\nBarely a mention in the media\n\nPrince Harry wears Dior to the Coronation & the media screams he\u2019s getting paid for it\u201d— Mirabel:Calling Out Bollocks (@Mirabel:Calling Out Bollocks) 1683530833
Another person tweeted something similar and how poorly Meghan Markle was treated when she appeared on America's Got Talent from her couch.
\u201cI remember when Meghan Markle appeared on AGT(?!) from her couch. It had to do with a contestant who was also named Archie. \n\nThey said it was \u201cunroyal\u201d.\n\nNow look at their newly crowned King & Queen. Merching themselves to whoever still watches American Idol. Smh.\u201d— HRH The Duke of Thomassin\u2122 (@HRH The Duke of Thomassin\u2122) 1683537715
Aside from the American Idol bit, Perry and Richie performed at a star-studded concert on Sunday alongside a number of other acts.
Richie performed his hit songs "Easy Like Sunday Morning" and "All Night Long," according to CNN, while Perry sang "Firework" and "Roar."
It looks like the young royals are big fans of Perry, with many people tweeting videos of Princess Charlotte signing along to the musician's songs at the concert.
\u201cPrincess Charlotte singing along to Katy Perry\u2019s \u2018Roar\u2019 at the #CoronationConcert \ud83d\ude0d\u201d— Belle (@Belle) 1683492306
The Muppets stars Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy also made an appearance at the event. Top Gun actor Tom Cruise joined in as well and told King Charles that he could be his "wingman anytime."
The coronation concert followed King Charles' coronation on Saturday.
Perry also made headlines at the coronation after a video of her struggling to find her seat went viral.
