Coronation will feature The Lion King's ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’
A London children's choir will sing the Disney hit during the Westminster Abbey Coronation service
It’s been revealed that the Coronation of King Charles at Westminster Abbey will feature something a little different.
Yes, you can expect to hear the familiar coronation marches and anthems from Elgar, Walton and others, the military band music, and the specially commissioned pieces from 12 composers. However, King Charles’s Coronation will also feature music from another world altogether.
We can exclusively reveal that the service will feature a children’s choir belting out the Disney classic ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’ within the Abbey’s timeless precincts.
Written by Elton John (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics), the classic tune about a young lion impatient to just get on and rule first appeared in the 1994 Disney film The Lion King. It also featured in both the stage musical and 2019 film adaptation.
‘It was felt that, in so many ways, this song exactly fits Charles’s mood as he ascends to the throne,’ explains Izzy Phareal, a noted Royal observer. ‘Like the young Simba, Charles has waited patiently to ascend to the throne, and now he is just so ready. And we have no doubt that, like Simba once again, Charles will use his reign to do great things.’
Appropriately, the song will be performed by a children’s choir drawn from schools across London. ‘Charles is a great believer in both the power of music and the key role to be played by future generations, so inviting a children’s choir to be front and centre of the Coronation seemed such a good fit,’ Izzy explained.
‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’ will not be the only Lion King singalong to feature during the Coronation.
Two other songs from the iconic soundtrack have been chosen for their ‘striking relevance’ to, respectively, Charles’ Coronation and reign. They are ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ and ‘Be Prepared’.
We hope you enjoyed this feature, which was an April Fools joke from BBC Music Magazine.
Prince Charles photo: Dan Marsh
Authors
Steve has been an avid listener of classical music since childhood, and now contributes a variety of features to BBC Music’s magazine and website. He started writing about music as Arts Editor of an Oxford University student newspaper and has continued ever since, serving as Arts Editor on various magazines.
