The Queen may not be amused by Shaggy
A CONCERT featuring the rapper Shaggy may be a musical step too far for the Queen, according to royal biographer Gyles Brandreth.
The former breakfast television host and ex-Tory MP has suggested that The Queen’s Birthday Party – a celebration of her links with the Commonwealth, which will be screened live on BBC One at 8pm on Saturday – is not quite the treat that Her Majesty might have had in mind.
The monarch will celebrate her 92nd birthday by attending the concert featuring Sir Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue, Craig David, Anne-Marie, Shawn Mendes, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, as well as a performance by Sting with Shaggy, at the Royal Albert Hall.
Writing in this week’s Radio Times, Gyles, 70, who in 2004 wrote a book on the marriage of the Queen and Prince Philip, said : “Word reaches me that Prince Harry has been involved in choosing the line-up, but this celebration is supposed to be about the Queen, not her grandchildren. What kind of music does the sovereign actually enjoy?
“Mostly, of course, stuff she first heard when she was a girl in the 1940s.
“The ukulele-playing George Formby has always been a particular favourite.
“Apparently, she knows all his songs – and can sing them. Will Tom Jones give us When I’m Cleaning Windows? Will Sting and Shaggy duet on Chinese Laundry Blues? I doubt it.”
However, after the monarch’s lifetime of putting duty before pleasure, Gyles predicted that the Queen will still tap her toe and smile.