King Charles’ cheeky pun to Lionel Richie that left the singer astonished

The monarch couldn't resist using the lyrics to one of Lionel's famous hits

King Charles chats to Lionel Richie and Lisa Parigi during coronation garden party
(Image credit: Getty)

King Charles' cheeky pun to Lionel Richie once left the singer astonished. 


King Charles proved he's clued up on his song lyrics when he made the ultimate dad joke when meeting Lionel Richie.

The monarch, who went by the title of Prince Charles at the time, met the music legend and American Idol judge in Barbados as part of the 2019 royal tour of the Caribbean. 

But instead of being formal, King Charles opted for a more relaxed approach to the introductions, and in thanking Lionel for agreeing to support, he said, "It must have been you I was looking for."

Lionel's 1983 hit Hello, features the iconic line, 'Hello, is it me you're looking for?'

The exchange left Charles in fits of giggles while, understandably, Lionel was left wondering if he heard right, he said in mock horror, "Oh, did you say that? He did say that."

King Charles and Lionel Richie in Barbados

(Image credit: Getty)

And ahead of the coronation, King Charles and Lionel met up yesterday at the pre-coronation garden party, held at Buckingham Palace gardens as Lionel Richie is on the coronation concert line-up.

Katy Perry and Lionel are to be replaced on American Idol so they can attend the weekend celebrations and are set to miss who is sent home from the contest.

Speaking at the Princes' Trust international reception, Lionel said, "I've been involved with the Prince's Trust for a number of years and, of course, I understand exactly what they do - giving opportunity to kids who would never ever have a shot at anywhere close to their dreams."

He went on to explain how he and Charles could be a driving force of change. "This is something the two of us together, His Royal Highness and myself, it will be something we can get together fast and get around the world."

"Between my connections and His Royal Highness' connections, we can do a lot of good for a lot of people."

He added, "The thing about it right now, we just want to make sure we identify the various organizations around the world that have the kids we can get close to and then we'll go on from there - we've got a little lifting to do before we get started."

The Princes' Trust has supported more than one million young people around the world.

Selina Maycock
Senior Entertainment Writer

Selina is a Senior Entertainment Writer for Goodto.com, Woman&Home, and My Imperfect Life with more than 16 years of experience in newspapers and magazines. She currently writes a mix of Entertainment news - including baby news, weddings, reporting the the latest news about the Royal kids Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet as well as Family news stories. Before joining Future Publishing, Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism. She is fully NCTJ and NCE qualified and has 100wpm shorthand. When she's not interviewing celebrities you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories.