King Charles and Queen Camilla unveil the staging for the Eurovision Song Contest

The King and the Queen Consort have unveiled the staging for the Eurovision Song Contest and toured the arena in Liverpool today.

Charles and Camilla were shown around the M&S Bank Arena and met Mae Muller, the UK’s contestant, as well as celebrity presenters, such as Scott Mills, Hannah Waddingham and Rylan Clark, and creative teams, ahead of the contest next month.

The grand final of the competition is due to take place on May 13, a week after the coronation ceremony.

Eurovision 2023 will take place in Liverpool after the UK was chosen to host the competition on behalf of war-torn Ukraine. It will be the first time the competition has been held in the UK for 25 years.

During today’s visit, the King revealed he would be ‘egging on’ the UK’s Eurovision contestant – and ‘no nul points!’ joked the Queen Consort. 

The couple met 25-year-old Mae Muller at the arena, where they pressed a button to officially reveal its colourful staging.

Chatting with Mae, who will be singing ‘I Wrote A Song’, Charles told her: ‘Good luck, we’ll be watching with great interest, egging you on.’

‘Thank you!’ she giggled. ‘No pressure. No nul points this year.’ ‘No nul points,’ Camilla agreed.

Eurovision director Martin Green started a countdown from ten before the royal couple pressed the button and the arena exploded in a cacophony of light, colour and sound.

It ended with the official Coronation logo in tribute to Their Majesties.

The royal couple then moved onto the main stage to meet the hosts of Eurovision 2023, Ukrainian host, Julia Sanina, DJ Scott Mills, presenter Rylan Clark and Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham.

The King chatted to Ms Waddingham intently about Monty Python.

He then turned to presenter Rylan who said: ‘Your Majesty, how nice to meet you. I hear your have just come from Scotland. Little bit of different weather down here. ‘ 

Charles and Camilla were shown around the M&S Bank Arena and met Mae Muller, the UK’s contestant, as well as celebrity presenters and creative teams, ahead of the contest next month

The King and the Queen Consort (pictured with Eurovision hopeful Mae Muller) unveiled the staging for the Eurovision Song Contest and toured the arena in Liverpool today

King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort stand on the stage after switching on stage lighting as they visit the host venue of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest

Charles and Camilla were given a tour backstage to meet production staff before being invited to light and animate the arena, revealing the competition staging for the first time

 Chatting with Mae (pictured left), who will be singing ‘I Wrote A Song’, Charles told her: ‘Good luck, we’ll be watching with great interest, egging you on.’

Sharing a giggle! King Charles and actress Hannah Waddingham and presenter Scott Mills are full of laughter as they chat together

The couple were also introduced the Blue Peter presenters. They were awarded Blue Peter badges in honour of the King’s coronation

Camilla (pictured left) told Mills and Ms Waddingham (pictured right, in a pink dress) that it must be ‘very strange now to to be in the middle of the action.’

Camilla told Mills and Ms Waddingham that it must be ‘very strange now to to be in the middle of the action.’

‘I feel very strange,’ Ms Waddingham said. ‘It’s so huge, it feels very strange to be in the belly of it all. In terms of presenting, as I told His Majesty, don’t be worried [but] I am a novice.’

She added: ‘I can’t believe you are both here given what you have coming up next week, thank you so much. You’ll have to put yourselves in a darkened room afterwards and try and switch off.’

Camilla nodded her head enthusiastically in agreement.

The group posed for a photograph and were urged to give a ‘big Eurovision smile’. ‘I’ve got the teeth for that,’ joked Rylan, referring to his shiny white veneers.

During today’s visit, Charles and Camilla were met at the arena by BBC director general Tim Davie, BBC director of content Charlotte Moore and managing director for BBC Eurovision 2023 Martin Green.

In the foyer, they met representatives from the BBC Board, BBC Studios and managing director of the arena Faye Dyer.

Charles and Camilla pose with the presenters of this year’s Eurovision, including Scott Mills, Hannah Waddingham, Julia Sanina and Rylan Clark

Eurovision 2023 will take place in Liverpool after the UK was chosen to host the competition on behalf of war-torn Ukraine. It will be the first time the competition has been held in the UK for 25 years

The grand final of the competition is due to take place on May 13, a week after the coronation ceremony. Pictured, King Charles speaking to the presenters 

King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort meet the presenters of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest

They were given a tour backstage to meet production staff before being invited to light and animate the arena, revealing the competition staging for the first time.

The couple were also introduced the Blue Peter presenters. They were awarded Blue Peter badges in honour of the King’s coronation. 

Charles and Camilla’s visit to the arena is one of several royal engagements in Liverpool, recognising the cultural partnership of the UK and Ukraine and celebrating Eurovision.

They also visited Liverpool Central Library to officially mark its twinning with Ukraine’s first public library, the Regional Scientific Library in Odesa.

They met key partners involved in both a two-week cultural festival running alongside the contest, and Eurolearn, a Eurovision-inspired education programme for primary and secondary pupils.

Chief executive of Liverpool City Council, Theresa Grant, and director of Culture Liverpool and Major Events, Claire McColgan guided the royal pair around the external exhibits.

A recital of Poem For Eurovision by poet Levi Tafari, written with the help of secondary pupils from several of Liverpool’s Schools of Sanctuary, took place in the library’s atrium.

Meanwhile, touring the library space, Charles will meet Ukrainian refugees and their host families who have been supported by The Prince’s Trust while Camilla will meet young people as part of a story telling session.

The pair will then together meet members of the Ukrainian Community in Liverpool and their host families.

Charles will later reveal a plaque to mark the twinning of the libraries, during a live link with the site in Odesa, and the visit will end with a performance by English National Opera.