ALISON BOSHOFF: The BBC makes Coronation Concert stars work for free trends now

With its spectacular Windsor Castle backdrop and drone light show, you can hardly accuse the Coronation Concert last Sunday of lacking ambition.

However the BBC was unexpectedly stingy to the stars who performed — insisting there would be no payment for their services.

Take That, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Steve Winwood all performed for free.

Instead, the Beeb made ‘a contribution’ to expenses. However, celebs were told that Auntie would not pick up the tab for any air travel, meaning it actually cost some of those taking to the stage to cross the ocean to perform. Both Katy Perry and Lionel Richie are believed to have travelled to the UK by private jet.

BBC studios also provided a hair and make-up team to work on all artists. Those who wanted to bring their own — including Katy Perry — had to fund this themselves. Perry, the fiancee of British actor Orlando Bloom, dazzled on the night in a gold gown by the British label Vivienne Westwood. It was reported that her 50-strong entourage, including dancers, stylists and lighting specialists, took up five dressing rooms.

Her mother, Mary, also came with her, and the two of them got to spend the night at the castle as one of the perks of appearing.

Before the show Perry said: ‘I’m really excited . . . I might be posting a lot because I’m gonna be in a castle, for real. This is wild.’

She and Richie were also among the congregation in Westminster Abbey at the Coronation.

The concert was produced by the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Studios, and was sold to 100 countries around the world.

Meanwhile, I hear the after-party at Windsor Castle was a muted affair. Neither the King nor Queen showed up, as they were filming a sketch with Perry and Richie for American Idol.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were there, however, and the event broke up quietly after around an hour of champagne, canapes and polite conversation.

Robson Green killed my pop dream

Loose Woman Denise Welch, whose son Matty Healy (singer for The 1975) is dating pop star Taylor Swift, says her own efforts to make it in the music world were strangled at birth — by Robson Green.

Welch, 64, said that Simon Cowell, then an executive at RCA, had a meeting with her about making music after she sang on the hit TV drama Soldier Soldier.

She told the podcast My Wardrobe Malfunction: ‘Simon Cowell had said “We’re gonna get you on the Des O’Connor show, we’ll get you on everything”, then tumbleweed, nothing, nada.’

Years later, her friend and co-star Robson Green, whose successful pop career with another colleague Jerome Flynn was also masterminded by Cowell, told her he had advised the mogul he couldn’t take them all on. ‘Robson said the thought of having two people from the same show on the same label is just a cringe step too far,’ she said.

‘I think he just thought that I would completely overshadow them, which probably would have happened.’

The curiously timed visit to London last week of Meghan’s one-time bestie Jessica Mulroney excited plenty of comment. However, it appears that this was simply a personal trip and wasn’t undertaken for professional reasons.

There was talk that stylist Mulroney was in town to assist another pal, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, who was attending the Coronation with her husband, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.

But a Canadian government source tells me: ‘Mrs Gregoire Trudeau did not receive professional styling services for this event.’

As for Mulroney’s close friendship with Meghan, it seems to have withered on the vine. She didn’t even wish the Duchess a happy 40th birthday on social media in August 2021. She shared an Instagram story as she left the UK which included the words: ‘You can’t hold grudges. It doesn’t matter how you get knocked

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