Despite her success during the queen’s royal funeral, Kirsty Young acknowledged she wasn’t sure whether she’d be invited to broadcast coverage of King Charles’ coronation this weekend.
On May 6, Young, 54, will be among those covering the buildup to the service, as well as the ceremony itself, the return procession to Buckingham Palace, and the King’s balcony appearance.
The former Desert Island Discs host, who was succeeded in 2019 by Lauren Laverne, will then head coverage of the coronation event on the grounds of Windsor Castle, which will include Katy Perry, Take That, and Lionel Richie among the musicians delighting the new monarch and millions of spectators.
Young’s 2022 was a busier year than she had imagined, with her return to presenting after a hiatus owing to chronic pain for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and her state funeral two months later.
Regardless, she was curious if she would be asked back.
‘After the funeral and as time marched on, I wondered if I would get the call, after all, I’m not contracted to the BBC,’ she told Radio Times.
‘I knew it was a hot ticket, and that there would be plenty of other people to consider.
‘I just hope people don’t think, “Ooh, not her again”.’
Looking ahead to the coronation, Young continued: ‘I think the idea that we are entering a different era is a very powerful one.
‘It is a different moment and the King is occupying that space. Both he and the Queen look ready for it. They look like a team, and a very happy one.
‘I’m there to put the event into words, and ask the questions that a typical viewer might ask.
‘I am the viewer’s way in. Because I will have a lot of information to hand I can extend the viewer’s knowledge and then ask the questions they might want to ask.
‘I can flesh out the whole thing, and make sense of it.’
The Coronation of HM the King coverage kicks off from 7.30am on BBC One. The full interview with Young can be read in this week’s Radio Times.
Source My Celebrity Life.
