Ed Sheeran claims he "was never asked" to perform at coronation

Ed Sheeran has shut down rumours that he had snubbed an invitation to perform at King Charles III's coronation concert at Windsor Castle last weekend.

It had been speculated before the event by various media outlets that the Sussex pop star had turned down the offer to sing on Sunday alongside other stars Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, and Take That. Sheeran confirmed on SiriusXM's Morning Mash Up during promotion of his new album Subtract, that he had actually "never been asked".

"I want to clear something up actually because there was loads of stuff in the press that I turned down the coronation, and no one ever asked me ever," he said on the morning radio show on Friday.

"I assume if they went online and went, 'What’s Ed doing on May 6th?' they would’ve been like, “Oh, he’s playing in Dallas.”

Ed Sheeran clears up the rumours that he “turned down” performing at the Coronation Concert last night! #Coronation #Coronation2023 pic.twitter.com/DCRLiAbmB0

— The Rumble Online (@theRumble9) May 8, 2023

Sheeran's name had circulated in discussions of the event, as it been found out as early as February that King Charles was "very keen" to have either Sheeran or Adele perform for him.

While the singer claimed he was "excited to tune in" to the show, he distanced himself from the media claims that he was among a number of artists who refused to attend, including Elton John, Harry Styles, and The Spice Girls.

Sheeran did appear on televisions globally on the Sunday, as he filled in as a guest judge on American Idol along with Alanis Morissette, both filling in for Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, two of the standout acts at the royal celebration at Windsor Castle.

Ed Sheeran released his fifth album Subtract on Friday May 5th, and it is set to become the singer's sixth consecutive number 1 LP. The album is already the fastest selling album of 2023. Sheeran is currently on tour across the US and Canada until September.

Listen to Subtract below.