Freshly-coronated Charles and Camilla went on American Idol

Nothing says American Idol like… British royalty? Nu-Idol judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie played hooky on the job for the coronation of King Charles, but the singing show previously promised some updates from abroad throughout Sunday’s program. As it turns out, those updates included a coronation cameo from none other than Charles and Queen Camilla themselves.

Perry and Richie appeared in a clip from Windsor Castle where both were performing at the coronation concert (in lieu of a list of actual English stars who reportedly declined the invite). The pair pronounced the occasion “incredible” and “unbelievable” before welcoming their “surprise” royal guests. After mumbling something about Richie’s song “All Night Long,” the newly crowned king joked that he “just wanted to check, how long you will be using this room for?”

The bit is, in this writer’s opinion, an incredibly awkward minute of four people talking over each other and stumbling on comedic timing. “Oh, you’ve heard of it?” Charles quips when Richie brings up the concert. “I better take you to the party, but you’re busy with these other things.”

Truly, if you were the king of freakin’ England, you might wonder why your coronation headliners are wasting your time filming a clip for a U.S.-based television competition series well past its prime. And if you’re an American Idol viewer, you might wonder what we fought a Revolutionary War for if your regularly scheduled reality TV diet can be interrupted by a foreign (figure)head of state. And if you’re Ed Sheeran, you might wonder why you were asked to guest host American Idol instead of performing at the coronation in your own country. And with this ponderous appearance, a new era in British-American cultural alliance is formed. Long live the king, we guess!