Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Stella McCartney to perform conservation-focused speech at Coronation Concert

The fashion designer’s speech will reflect her and the King’s ‘shared passion for environmental sustainability’.

Naomi Clarke
Saturday 06 May 2023 18:35 BST
Fashion designer Stella McCartney (Yui Mok/PA)
Fashion designer Stella McCartney (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Stella McCartney will deliver a spoken word performance with a conservation theme at the Coronation Concert to celebrate the crowning of the King and Queen.

The speech by the fashion designer, who has championed a vegan lifestyle and sustainable design throughout her career, will reflect her and the King’s “shared passion for environmental sustainability”, the BBC has said.

McCartney, who is the daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and his late wife photographer Linda, was made a CBE earlier this year for her services to fashion and sustainability.

Her performance will be part of a broader nature-themed section of the concert, which is being held in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Sunday.

Classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench and London-based singer-songwriter Zak Abel will also be part of the segment as they perform a rendition of a 1980s hit alongside a house orchestra, band and choir.

A visual display will accompany the performance, with images spanning across the large screen at the top of the stage as well as being projected onto the facade of the castle.

The performance will also be interspersed with footage of drone displays taking place above the Eden Project in Cornwall, an eco visitor attraction, and the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

The section is due to end with a ‘Did You Know?’ video, which will reveal “little-known information” about Charles’ relationship with the natural world, the BBC has said.

The broadcaster added that the stage has also been designed and built almost entirely of rental stock to make it as sustainable as possible, with the majority of the lighting being LED to improve energy saving.

Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie are also among the star-studded line-up as well as Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli and Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel.

The concert, produced by BBC Studios Productions, will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds from 8pm on Sunday.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in