Um, Shaggy Is Performing at the Queen’s Birthday Concert

Josh Duboff
Updated

The Queen will be turning 92 on April 21, and in honor of the occasion, there will, naturally, be a large-scale soiree in her honor. And we’re not talking a stately dinner with one or two musical guests and a nice flower arrangement—this is going to be a full-on concert extravaganza. Held at Royal Albert Hall on the 21st, the birthday party will be produced by the BBC and will air live on television in the U.K. Of course, the event will draw the senior royals as well, including, in all likelihood, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (who caused something of a stir with their reaction to entertainer Liam Payne during the recent Commonwealth Day service). It is unclear if Kate Middleton will be present, given that she is due with her third child right around then.

The list of performers, announced today, is perhaps the most notable, surprising aspect of all this. The Daily Mail notes that the sovereign “personally prefers show tunes and a stirring rendition of ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ by Dame Vera Lynn.” Well, uh, that is not what she is getting! Nope, the roster of artists includes Sir Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue, Craig David, Anne-Marie, Shawn Mendes, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Sting, and Shaggy.

Yes, that’s right, the Queen is going to be present (and seen on television!) for, presumably, a rendition of “It Wasn’t Me.” And will she bob her head to Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” and film Mendes’s “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” on her iPhone, making sure to flip the camera on herself for some lip-syncing? The BBC said in a statement that this will be a “birthday party like no other,” and we must say, that seems like a fair prediction.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s Seven-Decade Marriage, in Photos

Elizabeth, who was a princess at the time, met Philip, who went by Philip Mountbatten, in 1934 at a wedding. A few years later, in 1939, she was on a tour of the Royal Naval College (she was 13 and he was 18), and they began exchanging letters. They were secretly engaged in 1946. King George VI ordered that the formal engagement be delayed until after Elizabeth’s 21st birthday in April 1947. Their engagement was announced in July that year.
They married on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Britain was recovering from World War II, and the wedding was broadcast by BBC radio.

1947

They married on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Britain was recovering from World War II, and the wedding was broadcast by BBC radio.
From Bettmann Collection.
In full cowboy drag, Philip and Elizabeth square-danced while touring Ottawa, Canada.

1951

In full cowboy drag, Philip and Elizabeth square-danced while touring Ottawa, Canada.
From Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
They attended a charity premiere of The Lady with a Lamp in London. King George VI was seriously ill at the time, and would die a year later.
Philip and Elizabeth, not yet on the throne, hold Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

1951

Philip and Elizabeth, not yet on the throne, hold Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
From Bettmann Collection.
The two welcomed the Kennedys to Buckingham Palace for an official dinner. The meeting will make a cameo in the upcoming second season of The Crown. (In the historic story there was reportedly a little drama with the guest list. Mrs. Kennedy had requested her sister Princess Lee Radziwill and her husband, Prince Stanislas Radziwill, be invited, but divorcées—which they both were—were not permitted to dine at the palace at the time.)
Introducing Prince Edward, born on March 10, 1964.

1964

Introducing Prince Edward, born on March 10, 1964.
From Fox Photos/Getty Images.
Philip and Elizabeth take another Canadian tour.

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Philip and Elizabeth take another Canadian tour.
From Rolls Press/Popperfoto/Getty Images.
Elizabeth supports her husband and son, Prince Charles, at the polo pitch.

1967

Elizabeth supports her husband and son, Prince Charles, at the polo pitch.
By Michael Stroud/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
Elizabeth and Philip dance at a state ball at the palace in Valletta during a visit to Malta in November 1967. Before she ascended to the throne, she joined her husband on the island, where he was stationed as a naval officer.

1967

Elizabeth and Philip dance at a state ball at the palace in Valletta during a visit to Malta in November 1967. Before she ascended to the throne, she joined her husband on the island, where he was stationed as a naval officer.
From Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
A typical marital moment on the family jet.

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A typical marital moment on the family jet.
From Bettmann Collection.
The two visited a farm on the Balmoral estate in Scotland for their silver wedding anniversary year in September 1972.

1972

The two visited a farm on the Balmoral estate in Scotland for their silver wedding anniversary year in September 1972.
From Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images.
Elizabeth photographs a horse at the Badminton Horse Trials.

1973

Elizabeth photographs a horse at the Badminton Horse Trials.
By Tim Graham/Getty Images.
Again with the horses. Here they are at the Royal Windsor Horse Show held in Windsor Home Park.

1982

Again with the horses. Here they are at the Royal Windsor Horse Show held in Windsor Home Park.
By Tim Graham/Getty Images.
The whole gang at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London.

1983

The whole gang at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London.
From Quadrillion/CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images.
Visiting the Great Wall of China.

1986

Visiting the Great Wall of China.
By Anwar Hussein/Getty Images.
Queen Elizabeth cuts the cake for their golden anniversary (50 years!). Their anniversary came a few months after her former daughter-in-law Diana’s death. In a speech, she said, “This has given us strength, most recently during the sad days after the tragedy of Diana’s death. It is you, if I may now speak to all of you directly, who have seen us through, and helped us to make our duty fun. We are deeply grateful to you, each and every one.”
Fast-forward a decade, and here we are at their 60th wedding anniversary—“diamond” this time.

2007

Fast-forward a decade, and here we are at their 60th wedding anniversary—“diamond” this time.
By Tim Graham/Getty Images.
Queen Elizabeth presents her husband with the top New Zealand title, the Order of New Zealand badge. It had been worn by the Queen Mother until her death.

2013

Queen Elizabeth presents her husband with the top New Zealand title, the Order of New Zealand badge. It had been worn by the Queen Mother until her death.
By Anthony Devlin/WPA Pool/Getty Images.
Riding the train to open up the new Borders-to-Edinburgh railway line. Elizabeth made the appearance the same day that she officially became Britain’s longest-ruling monarch.

2015

Riding the train to open up the new Borders-to-Edinburgh railway line. Elizabeth made the appearance the same day that she officially became Britain’s longest-ruling monarch.
By Andrew Milligan/WPA Pool/Getty Images.
Another Trooping the Colour ceremony for Elizabeth and Philip, now with Duchess Kate and Princess Charlotte.

2016

Another Trooping the Colour ceremony for Elizabeth and Philip, now with Duchess Kate and Princess Charlotte.
By Tom Buchanan/siverhub/REX/Shutterstock.
The couple posed for photographs around Buckingham Palace for their 70th wedding anniversary.

2017

The couple posed for photographs around Buckingham Palace for their 70th wedding anniversary.
By Matt Holyoak/CameraPress/PA Wire/Getty Images.