Winnie-the-Pooh to have starring role at Coronation concert: Honey-guzzling bear will feature in sketches revealing little-known facts about King Charles alongside Tom Cruise, Sir Tom Jones and other famous faces

• AA Milne’s honey-guzzling Winnie-the-Pooh will feature in Coronation coverage 

The moment in which the late Queen shared tea with Paddington Bear at Buckingham Palace stole the show at last year’s platinum jubilee celebrations.

And BBC bosses may be hoping for a similar coup at next Sunday’s Coronation Concert by enlisting the services of another beloved literary bear: Winnie-the-Pooh.

The broadcaster announced yesterday that AA Milne’s honey-guzzling creation will feature alongside Tom Cruise, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Tom Jones, Bear Grylls, and former Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse in a string of sketches revealing little-known facts about King Charles.

Hollywood star Cruise has long-standing links to the royals. He hosted part of the late Queen’s platinum jubilee celebration on ITV last year, and joined the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the London premiere of his film Top Gun: Maverick.

Veteran rock guitarist Steve Winwood is the latest name to join a star-studded line-up alongside the singers Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, Nicole Scherzinger and the Chinese pianist Lang Lang.

The broadcaster announced yesterday that AA Milne’s honey-guzzling creation will feature alongside Tom Cruise, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Tom Jones, Bear Grylls, and former Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse in a string of sketches revealing little-known facts about King Charles

Winwood, a veteran of the blues rock scene who performed in the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith, will sing alongside the Commonwealth virtual choir.

The 74-year-old said: ‘I was alive and just about remember the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, together with millions and millions of other people all around the globe, am a lifelong monarchist.

‘So to be included in the Coronation celebrations of Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla is for me a lifetime achievement for which I’m extremely humbled and honoured.’ 

Other performers newly added to the bill include the Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage, DJ Pete Tong with his Ibiza Classics project, and winner of The Piano TV talent show, Lucy.

The moment in which the late Queen shared tea with Paddington Bear at Buckingham Palace stole the show at last year’s platinum jubilee celebrations

Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise  will also be in attendance at King Charles III’s big day

Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor will also deliver a spoken-word performance.

Lionel Richie, Take That, Katy Perry and global opera icon Andrea Bocelli are among the stars to have been already announced as appearing at the event in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel is also signed up to perform, as is singer Freya Ridings, who will do a duet with producer and musician Alexis Ffrench.

Some 20,000 members of the public will attend the Coronation Concert on Sunday, May 7, which will be aired on BBC1 and Radio 2 along with catch-up services.

It comes less than a year after the BBC concert, Platinum Party at the Palace, to mark the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which included music by Queen, Duran Duran and Diana Ross.

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